Radio interview, 5AA Mornings

SUBJECTS: Australia's investment in AUKUS; Skills and Training Academy at Osborne; Chinese Naval Vessels off the Coast of Australia.

GRAEME GOODINGS, HOST: We have the Defence Minister, Richard Marles, on the line. Also Deputy Prime Minister. Deputy Prime Minister, good morning. Thanks for being with us today.

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Good morning Graeme, how are you?

GOODINGS: Well, thanks. What brought you to Adelaide?

MARLES: Well, we had a really exciting announcement down at the Osborne Naval Shipyard where we did the first sod turning on the Skills and Training Academy, which is a really critical component of building the skilled workforce that we need to build Hunter class frigates here in Adelaide, but also of course, our future submarines. And in time, what we're going to see at Osborne is a workplace of 7,000 people. But these are all high tech, high skilled jobs. And so there's a real training challenge here, and the Skills and Training Academy is the heart of our response to this. And this will be– it's about a $480 million federal commitment, it's part of a land swap that we've done with the South Australian government. I was there with the Premier Peter Malinauskas this morning. And the Academy is going to be up and running in the financial year 27-28, so about two and a half years from now. And when it's all said and done, about 800 to 1,000 students will go through that academy each and every year.

GOODINGS: Are you still confident about the future of AUKUS? I mean it was only last week that Donald Trump, when asked about AUKUS, seemed to be quite confused.

MARLES: Yeah, look, I am confident. And I was in Washington just a few weeks ago meeting with my counterpart, Secretary Pete Hegseth. Both he and I were very fulsome in our support for AUKUS. Secretary Hegseth made it really clear about where the administration's position is in relation to AUKUS. But none of that's a surprise because those around the Trump team prior to the election, Trump Republicans have been supportive of AUKUS both in word and in deed. When legislation went through the United States Congress at the end of 2023 to enable AUKUS – enable the provision of Virginia class submarines to Australia, for example, around as well as a whole raft of other measures to support AUKUS – that was supported by Democrats, but by Republicans and Trump Republicans. And this is really a project which has enjoyed the support across the American spectrum of politics. And those in the Trump administration have been supportive as well.

GOODINGS: Donald Trump has hinted at reducing US commitments to global alliances. Does that raise any concerns in Canberra about the reliability of the US in supporting us? I mean, we've been there for them for many decades.

MARLES: Look, I feel confident about the Alliance going forward. And again in my meeting with Secretary Hegseth, we had a really good conversation about all of that. One of the points I'd make is that this administration is very focused on the Indo‑Pacific, on our part of the world, and that that was really clear in the statements of Secretary Hegseth, but it has also been clear in the statements of the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. And I think that does bode well in terms of the way in which we will take the Alliance forward over the next four years under the Trump administration, given all that is playing out in our part of the world. I mean, you're right, the Alliance is a deep relationship between our two countries, and there is a lot in it for Australia, of course, it's the cornerstone of our national security, our foreign policy, but we really matter to America as well, and the Alliance is in the strategic interests of both countries, and that's something that I think in all the conversations I've had with those in the Trump administration is really well understood.

GOODINGS: Do you think there's any coincidence in what Trump has been saying to the fact that we've had Chinese warships circumnavigate Australia?

MARLES: No. I mean, I don't think those things are connected, other than to just make the obvious point, which is that we've been saying for a long time, you know, we are facing the most complex, in some ways the most threatening strategic circumstances that we've experienced since the end of the Second World War. And so this is the world that we are living in now. And we've been really aware of that. That's why we are engaging in a historic increase in our defence spending, by some measures, the largest increase– peacetime increase in our defence spending since the end of the Second World War. And that's because of the strategic landscape that we face. And so we're well aware of those challenges. I think the Trump administration is really well aware of those challenges, and particularly in the Indo‑Pacific. And as I say, I look forward actually with optimism around how our two governments will work together to meet those challenges in the Indo‑Pacific.

GOODINGS: What do you make of the Chinese informing some island nations around the Pacific that they were going on these manoeuvres and not informing Australia?

MARLES: Well, I think the recent reporting out of Papua New Guinea is that, in fact, PNG was informed by us at the same time. So, I make that clear because some of that reporting was not clear over the last week or so. But the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Papua New Guinea, Justin Tkatchenko, has made it clear in the last day or so that he was, in fact, informed by Australia at the same time. Look, I mean, from the moment that the Chinese Task Group came close to Australia, we've been monitoring its movements, monitoring its configurations, its activities. We've done that actually, in an unprecedented way. We've done more surveillance of this Task Group than has ever been done before. And we did that from the outset, like the very moment that they came close to Australia. And that's because we could see the potential for them spending some time near Australia, which is what has transpired and in doing– 

GOODINGS: But China didn't notify us. I mean, the Solomon Islands knew about it, they knew they were coming. Other islands knew about it. It would seem to be a deliberate ploy by the Chinese just to leave Australia out of it.

MARLES: I'm not sure that that is clear, but in any event, I mean, we wouldn't expect to be notified by China of what it's doing. We obviously operate in the South China Sea and in fact, the truth is that there is much more Australian activity, naval activity in the vicinity of China than there is Chinese naval activity in the vicinity of Australia. And it's important that people understand that, which is why, you know, in all of our commentary, we're not trying to make more of this than is there. It's important that we are surveilling what they are doing, and that's been a very concerted effort on our part. But I also hasten to add, at all moments, the Chinese have been complying with international law, and that's the number one thing that we've been seeking to observe as they've been in our waters. And that's important. That's important they’ve been doing that, it's important for us to acknowledge because, as I say, we do a lot of operations in the vicinity of China. And we do that because that’s where our trade routes are. But we obviously always comply with international law when we engage in our activities in places like the South China Sea. Now, I mean, militaries will do these activities and at the same time, there's the opportunity for militaries to observe others and that's what we're doing in relation to the Task Group. And we will be really clear when it's all said and done as to exactly what this Task Group was seeking to achieve in the mission that it's undertaken.

GOODINGS: Minister, we have a question from a texter, from Joseph. He says “hi, Graeme. It was recently mentioned that the Defence Force stopped training apprentices. Strange we would be celebrating the new Skill school opening. What's going on?”

MARLES: Well, the Defence Force engages in a lot of training and we're engaging in a lot of training here. If we're talking about the apprentices that will be required to build our future frigates and our future submarines, they're not employees of the Defence Force. But this is very much funded out of the Defence budget. Defence industry is really a critical component to our overall capability and the skills within defence industry are central to that. So, Defence is engaged in a lot of training of apprentices and the building of skills to build the military equipment that we need. Those people don't actually wear– are not members of the Defence Force themselves but they are contributing to the overall capability of our nation's defence.

GOODINGS: We're probably living in the most uncertain time since World War II. Would you be in favour of increasing our Defence budget?

MARLES: Well, we are increasing our Defence budget. That's why we've put in place an additional $50 billion over the decade since we've come to office. And that's in the Budget. That's actually in the Budget that's gone before the Parliament. And we've done that which is really the most significant peacetime increase in Defence spending since the end of the Second World War. We've done that for the reasons that you just said: we are facing the most complex strategic circumstances that we've experienced since the end of the Second World War. What's important actually is that that become a bipartisan position. Until now, and still at this point the Liberal Party have not committed to that level of Defence spending that we have. They've not committed to the additional $50 billion of support and they go to this election with a proposition of cutting $350 billion out of the budget, and it would appear that Defence spending is on the chopping block. And that would be really an appalling decision to take given the strategic circumstances that we face. We do need to increase our Defence spending and that's why the Albanese Government is doing it in a historic way. And it's really time that the Liberals stood up and supported what we're doing.

GOODINGS: Deputy Prime Minister, can you shed any light onto when we're going to the polls?

MARLES: No, I can't and I don't know. The one person who knows is the Prime Minister. But I also think if I started to speculate on that it would be a career limiting move on my part. So, I reckon I'll leave that prerogative to the boss because it is very much his.

GOODINGS: Richard Marles. Thanks for your chat today.

MARLES: Thanks, Graeme.

ENDS