Television Interview, Today Show

SUBJECTS: Federal Response to Bondi Terror Attack.

SAM ARMYTAGE, HOST: Change of pace now as chilling new details emerge about the Bondi terror attack. The Federal Government is facing increased pressure over their response to the tragedy.

MICHAEL (WIPPA) WIPFLI, HOST: Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles joins us now live from Geelong. Minister, the government has so far rejected calls for a federal royal commission. Is the PM playing politics when it comes to taking action?

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Well, we actually need to see action now and we need to see action in a matter of weeks, not in a matter of years. And royal commissions take years. And that's the fundamental point here. I mean, we've had Jillian Segal, our Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism, do a really important report which we've been implementing, which last week we endorsed in full. We're in the process of putting forward new extensions to hate speech legislation which will go after hate preachers, those who seek to incite others to engage in hate and we want to do that in a matter of weeks. Royal commissions take years and it will traverse the same ground that Jillian Segal has already undertaken. And it's important to understand that–

ARMYTAGE: Minister, Australians want more from this. We want to know how this happened. And in the wake of this absolute tragedy, we want to know at the crux of this, how did the father of someone who was on an ASIO watchlist legally own six high powered rifles? And we need transparency on that which a royal commission would bring, and we need it quickly.

MARLES: Well, royal commissions won't deliver anything quickly. I mean, royal commissions take years and that is exactly the point here. And so in relation to those operational issues, you're right, we need answers in respect of them and that's why we're engaging Dennis Richardson to pursue a task force here, to give answers to this in a matter of months, not years. And there will be a public version of that report. I mean, there'll be matters that are classified which will need to be made classified, that would be the case in a royal commission as well, but we need to get to the answers here quickly. We can't afford to wait around years, which is what a royal commission would take. The NSW Government will walk down the path of a royal commission and that's fine, and we'll obviously cooperate with that completely. But we need the answers to these questions as quickly as possible. That's what Dennis Richardson will do in respect to the matters that you've raised.

ARMYTAGE: A state royal commission wouldn't have the same access that a federal one would to ASIO. 

MARLES: Well, we'll cooperate with the state royal commission, but the point here, and it goes to the very terms in which you ask the question – we need the answers to this quickly and royal commissions are not set up to do things quickly. Royal commissions take years. That's the nature of royal commissions. And that’s why we want to move on this now. And so this is actually about trying to get to the answers as quickly as possible but more to the point, making sure that having got answers and in respect of a whole lot of this, we already have answers in relation to what we need to be doing right now in respect of antisemitism, which is part of the context of this, obviously, and we need to be acting on that now. And in relation to those operational matters, we believe we can get those answers quickly, in a matter of months so that we can act on them quickly. And that is the focus of what we're doing here. And that's why we're moving down the path that we've chosen.

WIPPA: You attended the vigil in Bondi on Sunday alongside the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and he was obviously booed by crowds upon his arrival. Can you understand the community's anger towards the government?

MARLES: Well, certainly we are talking about a community which is in an enormous amount of pain, and obviously I can understand that and we can very much understand the sense of anger that people feel. I'd also make the point that, you know, I was there with the Prime Minister on Sunday night, I mean, the focus that we had, both the Prime Minister, myself, but indeed, I think everyone who was there, was on the very moving event that occurred and the incredible way in which the lives of those who were lost was commemorated. And that really, the tragedy of all of that was the focus of our attention on Sunday night.

ARMYTAGE: Minister, we've repeatedly asked the Prime Minister to come on the show and talk to us, and he has not accepted that offer for the last eight days. He's only fronted these carefully crafted media conferences and the government has sent out people like you, like the Deputy Prime Minister, to answer questions. Why do you think that is?

MARLES: Oh, I don’t– well, firstly, I don't think that's fair at all. I mean, the Prime Minister has fronted numerous press conferences. They're not carefully crafted at all. People ask whatever questions they want to ask, and he's been answering them. And you only need to look at those press conferences and the questions that have been asked and in a sense, I don't think that's fair on your fellow journalists to describe that as carefully crafted, I mean they've certainly not been holding back in the questions that they've asked and the Prime Minister has been answering them. I mean the Prime Minister couldn't have made himself more available to the Australian public over the last nine days. But what we sought to do in that period of time is to, you know, try and bring the country together in this absolutely tragic moment but to also move with action in terms of what needs to be learned here and what needs to be done. And that has been our focus since the moment that this tragedy occurred.

ARMYTAGE: Okay. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, we thank you for your time this morning and we do, in light of recent events, we wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas time.

MARLES: You too. Thank you.

ENDS