Television Interview, ABC News Breakfast

SUBJECTS: Flu season; Parliament; Childcare; AUKUS; Australia-US relationship; Geelong

HOST, EMMA REBELLATO: Well, Acting Prime Minister and the Minister for Defence, Richard Marles joins us now in the studio. Richard, good morning. Thanks for having me.

ACTING PRIME MINISTER, RICHARD MARLES: Good to be here.

HOST, JAMES GLENDAY: Welcome to the couch.

REBELLATO: Let's start with that story. This is a bit of a worry if this is happening. You know, hospitals are overwhelmed. What can we do about it?

MARLES: Well, I mean, firstly, it's really important that people in terms of flu season are doing everything they can to be vaccinated. You know, we're having in the aftermath of the pandemic, I think we've all seen the pressure that can be placed on our health system with outbreaks of this kind. You know, it's really important that we are doing everything we can within our public health system to make sure that it can meet these moments.

REBELLATO: And obviously it's not really coping at the moment, is it?

MARLES: Well, I mean, there are challenges at this time of year around the country. Again, it comes back to why it's really important to get vaccinated. But obviously this is a challenging moment for the system.

GLENDAY: Parliament's back next week. What's going to be the first thing on your agenda? I imagine you're going to have like a little bit of a celebration, personally- must be satisfying to sit there and not see Peter Dutton or Adam Bandt. I mean, two of your enemies smited.

MARLES: Well, look, I don't think it's so much focusing on that. We're really focusing about getting on with the business of government. I mean, we've made clear that cutting student debt is right up there in terms of one of the very first things that we will do. But we've got an agenda that comes out of the election campaign that we will get on with implementing and that, you know, the beginning of Parliament is an important ceremony, I guess, which goes with that in terms of a parliamentary term. It is a moment to just reflect on the significance of living in a democracy and all of that, and actually, you know, we do think a lot about that on those occasions, but fundamentally, this is about getting on with the business of government.

REBELLATO: Well, speaking of that, one of the big stories, and Jason Clare was talking about this yesterday, is childcare. These childcare centres at the centre of the allegations in Melbourne are close to your electorate, I believe. How do you reassure parents that they can still send their children to childcare centres? We know a lot of parents are really traumatised by this.

MARLES: Yeah, well, the first point to make is that, you know, you can barely imagine what it would be for the parents of those kids who are now having to have their kids tested in the wake of these appalling revelations. And you're absolutely right. You know, we need to be assuring parents that childcare is a safe place for them to take their kids. It's a critical part of how our society works now. That's why we've made clear, in terms of what we'll be doing in the next couple of weeks, that any childcare centre which does not meet proper child safety standards will not receive federal funding. And we will put through legislation in the coming fortnight to achieve that outcome. Jason Clare, the Education Minister, has also said that we will walk down the path of a register of childcare workers and we'll work with states and territories around a whole range of law reform to make sure that childcare centres are the safest places possible for kids. And a register is a very important part of that.

GLENDAY: What's your message as a father yourself, what's your message to parents who are struggling on whether or not they should be sending their kids to these places? At the moment, we're hearing stories about that. I mean, and the number of centres in this particular case has continued to rise.

MARLES: Yeah, I mean, it is an appalling revelation that's come out and. And, you know, as a parent, I'm utterly sickened by what has come out. And a parent- all four of my kids have spent significant parts of their lives in childcare. So, you know, we are a family which has relied very heavily on the childcare centres that saw all of our kids at it. I think childcare is a really important part of how society operates. It enables families to make choices about going back to work at a time which suits them. That's actually really important for the economy. We've done a lot to try and ease the financial pressure of being able to use childcare, but underpinning all of that has to be a childcare system and childcare centres which are safe places for kids. And what I would say to parents is we will be doing everything within our power to ensure that we make childcare centres the safest possible places for their kids.

GLENDAY: Now, you're obviously the Defence Minister as well as the Acting Prime Minister, a guy called Elbridge Colby, who is a U.S. Under Secretary. I can't think of a time when an Under Secretary's got so many headlines, has a lot to say about AUKUS defence spending, all sorts of things. Some of the comments from the Trump administration starting to annoy you? The timing of them, particularly with the Prime Minister overseas in China?

MARLES: No, I mean- well, firstly, Elbridge Colby is leading the review, which is a process that we welcome. I mean, a lot has been speculated and talked about in terms of that review, but really when you look at it, it's a. It's a completely natural step for an incoming government to take. It's one that we took when we-

GLENDAY: Came to making comments about Taiwan and what Australia should do when the Prime Minister is visiting Beijing. I mean, the timing doesn't seem, well, to be fair.

MARLES: A lot of that is speculation that people are making. I think that the happening of this review is something that we welcome and will work with. Britain's done it, we've done it, America is doing it. We are really confident about being able to take our relationship forward in terms of the alliance with the Trump administration. And in terms of my counterpart, Pete Hegseth, I was the first Defence Minister in the world to meet him and it's been a really good relationship and I feel very confident about where we will take our defence to defence relationship, but more broadly our national security relationship.

REBELLATO: That review was already due, was it? Last weekend? I think the AUKUS review. Are you going to get a heads up at all? Do you know why we haven't heard anything yet?

MARLES: Look, obviously it's a matter for America to determine when this is going to be completed and when they are going to announce it. So, I won't seek to preempt any of that other than to say, in answer to your question, you know, we do talk with them frequently and we have a very good level of dialogue with them generally and specifically about the review.

REBELLATO: How frequently do you speak to them?

MARLES: Oh, well, our system speaks literally on a daily basis with America. I mean, like, I think actually that's a really good question in terms of people understanding it. We have defence personnel who are embedded in, throughout the American system, in the American Defense Force, but also we have embeds in the Department of Defense, in the Pentagon. So, it is literally a constant communication and dialogue. The channels are better in terms of our communication with America than literally with any country in the world. And that continues to be the case.

GLENDAY: And yet we still haven't had that meeting between the Prime Minister and the President. Have you got a date for that yet?

MARLES: No, but it's going to happen, I'm sure, in the not too distant future- 

GLENDAY: This year?

MARLES: Well, look, I'm sure it will happen in the not too distant future. It was scheduled to happen earlier. Events overtook it, which we can all understand in terms of what happened in the Middle East. And, and there are a number of other leader meetings that President Trump on that day had to miss. But we can all understand how the attention of the American President is engaged by world events. I have no doubt that that meeting is going to happen in due course.

GLENDAY: Okay Richard Marles, thank you so much for coming in.

MARLES: You're not going to ask me about public art?

REBELLATO: Oh yes. 

MARLES: Well, because there's a clear answer to this question and that is the Geelong waterfront bollards, which Geelong is famous for.

GLENDAY: Hey. Well, there you go.

REBELLATO: Look at you.

GLENDAY: Can you tell what do they look like? Are they lifeguards, is that right?

MARLES: Well, there's actually a whole lot of bollards right along the waterfront. So, lifeguards. But there's a history to them. They came out of Barwon heads. One of the things about the Geelong bollards is they all have a rabbit on them. And the reason they have a rabbit down the bottom, you've got to kind of search for it. Part of maybe an infamous claim to fame of a Geelong is that- I hope I'm not sledging the Austin family or their forebears- but rabbits were introduced into this country around our region. Right.

GLENDAY: So, you're responsible?

MARLES: Well, successive environment Ministers always complain to me about the contribution that Geelong's made to our ecosystem.

REBELLATO: Oh dear. All right, well, we will. We'll make sure we get a photo of that as well up soon. Richard Marles, thank you for coming in and sharing your favourite public art too.

ENDS

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