Television Interview, Sky News

SUBJECTS: Polls; Liberal Party Division; Social Cohesion; Orchard Hills Defence Investment

HOST, HOLLY STEARNES: Joining me now is Defence Industry Minister, Pat Conroy – thank you for your time. What's your reaction to One Nation's surge?

MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTY, PAT CONROY: Well, I don't comment on individual polls but clearly the Liberal Party are losing massive support because they can't work out what they stand for –and they're incredibly divided. They're clearly focused on themselves; they're clearly focused on fighting for who's going to be the next Opposition Leader – and they're not focused on looking after the interests of Australians as a constructive Opposition should be. And that's obviously reflected in, certainly reflected in what people talk to me about in the street, they're just appalled that they're divided, they're focused on themselves rather than focused on the national interest.

STEARNES: Why do you think people are throwing their support behind Pauline Hanson's Party? I mean, I know it's important not to comment just on one poll, but what is it about Pauline Hanson's Party that you think people are really liking at the moment?

CONROY: Well, I'm not a commentator on that, I'll leave it up to the political analysts. What I can say to you is what I'm hearing on the streets of my electorate and when I travel the country is people want a plan for the future and that's what the Albanese Labor Government's provided. They want us to focus on tackling the cost of living, investing in healthcare, investing in our defence, investing in good foreign relationships – and that's the feedback I get. In terms of what's happening with the Opposition, I think their division is what's driving people's disappointment with them. They want a constructive Opposition, one that will work with the Government, disagree where they feel like, but work in the national interest – and sadly, that wasn't on display last week. We saw them divided. We saw the National Party opposing gun laws. We saw the National Party oppose making it easier to list the Nazis and to ban Nazi groups. That's what the National Party did, and the Liberals joined them on gun laws. The Liberals stood up and said, we support non-citizens getting the right to have guns – we support the rights of people like that rather than sensible gun law reform. So, I think people are reacting to that.

STEARNES: What do you think, though, voters want but are not getting from the Government so then they are turning to One Nation when it comes to policy?

CONROY: Well I can only say what the Government's doing and the response I get from people when I talk to them. They want us focused on cost of living, they want us focused on investing in healthcare. They want us focused on investing in defence capability and building manufacturing jobs in this country – and that's what we're doing and that's what we're focused on.

STEARNES: Do you think the Coalition can or will be reunited?

CONROY: Oh, that's a question for them. But the divisions are on stark display. I saw them last week in Parliament, where the National Party and the Liberals voted against stronger gun laws, where the Liberals split with the National Party on listing groups like the Nazis. So, I think there's huge division there. The Australian people want an Opposition that will work in the national interest. It doesn't matter who the Liberal leader is, whether it's Angus Taylor or Andrew Hastie or Melissa McIntosh or Sussan Ley remains. If they continue to be divided, if they continue to not work for social cohesion, I think the Australian people will continue to judge them poorly.

STEARNES: Minister, former Prime Minister Scott Morrison is calling for reform on how Islam is practised in Australia. Do you support this?

CONROY: Oh well this is another example of the Liberal Party trying to divide Australians rather than unite them. We've been very focused on social cohesion…

HOLLY STEARNES: …but do you support that?

CONROY: Look, I don't. I obviously don't. For the Liberals to hold almost one million Australians who are of Muslim faith responsible for the acts of two individuals who followed a vile perversion, an extreme perversion of Islam is another example of them trying to divide Australians. Why the Liberal Party want to hold almost one million Australians responsible for the acts of two individuals at Bondi is beyond me. It's another example of them trying to divide Australians. We're focused on unifying the country, having unifying moments. From the Prime Minister downward, we’re focused on social cohesion, because that's what the nation needs. Not just as a healing and learning from the Bondi massacre, but that's the advice from the national security agencies. The Director-General of ASIO has been very clear that social cohesion is a critical factor in this country, and that's what we're focused on. The Liberals are dividing this nation. They're trying to hold one million Australians responsible for the acts of two individuals, and I'm appalled by that and I oppose it 100 per cent.

STEARNES: Well, I don't know if they're trying to divide Australians, but they are dividing themselves anyway. They're not a united front at the moment – there's no doubt about that. Do you believe though that Australia has an issue or a problem with radical Islamic extremism?

CONROY: It's clear that the two individuals who have been alleged to have committed the vile act in Bondi followed an extreme perversion of Islam and we've called that out from the Prime Minister down. But to tar an entire religion I just think is unacceptable. It's not based in fact, and it undermines social cohesion. It's like holding any other religion responsible for acts of a group that follows a perversion of them. Every Australian should have the right to follow their religion in peace in this country as long as they follow all the laws of the land.

STEARNES: Minister, I'll get to some other news now, and this is what you actually came on for. I mean, the Government is pumping more than half a billion dollars into Western Sydney to boost Australia's guided weapons capability. Of course, spruiking jobs, security and sovereign defence as well – it's a hefty price tag though, with delivery years away?

CONROY: Well, the, the first work will be complete in late 2026 and then next stage in '27 and ending '29. But this is a big investment. It's a vote of confidence in the Western Sydney economy and the Western Sydney workforce. Half a billion-dollar investment which will create 2,000 jobs, upgrading our base at Orchard Hills and building 11 bunkers to expand storage of guided weapons. Importantly, at this facility in Orchard Hills near St Marys, we’ll also do the final assembly for the second line of missiles that we're building in this country. We started making missiles in this country late last year. The second factory will come online next year, and the final assembly of the Naval Strike Missile and Joint Strike Missile will be done at Orchard Hills in Western Sydney. This is important from both equipping the Australian Defence Force with the most advanced equipment in the world to deter conflict and deter potential adversaries, but it also creates well-skilled manufacturing jobs in Western Sydney as well as places like the Hunter, and that's great news for Australians.

STEARNES: Pat Conroy, we'll leave it there for today – thanks for your time on Sky.

CONROY: Thanks Holly.

ENDS