Radio Interview, ABC Newcastle

SUBJECTS: Middle East conflict; Australia providing defensive military assistance to Gulf; Visa changes

PAUL CULLIVER, HOST: Good morning.

PAT CONROY, MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTY: Morning Paul, how are you?

CULLIVER: I'm very well. Is Australia at war?

CONROY: No, we're not. What we're doing is contributing to the collective self-defence of the UAE. A country that's played no role in the attacks on Iran and is an innocent bystander that's already seen 1,500 rockets and drones be shot down over their territory - and it's also a region where 115,000 Australians live. So, this is about protecting the UAE and protecting the 115,000 Australians that are in a zone where missiles and rockets are falling indiscriminately.

CULLIVER: All right, what will the Wedgetail be doing?

CONROY: It’s the world's most advanced surveillance aircraft and we should be really proud that we've got that capability. It will be flying extended periods of time to detect, using its radar, incoming missiles and drones, then providing that information to the command control system of the UAE who will then use missiles and other platforms to destroy those incoming rockets. So, this is purely defensive. It is purely about identifying threats to the UAE and other Gulf states and then providing that information so those threats can be dealt. So, it's defensive, it protects the UAE, and protects the 115,000 Australians that are in the Middle East.

CULLIVER: Okay. Why doesn't the UAE have that capability?

CONROY: Well, they've got a sophisticated military, but we're one of only three countries in the world that have the E-7A Wedgetail – and we're the country that developed it originally, and it is still the world's most advanced surveillance aircraft. The UK is looking at getting it as well. But it's a really important contribution we can make in a defensive way. We've deployed it twice to Europe to support the struggle of Ukraine against Russia's illegal invasion. So, it's done great work in Europe. It was deployed to the Middle East in 2014 to help identify threats from ISIS. So, it's a world-class capability and we should be proud that not only does Australia have it, but it's based in the Hunter.

CULLIVER: How many people will deploy, how many personnel will deploy as part of this?

CONROY: I won't comment on the exact numbers, but I note quotes from Tim Owens that were broadly accurate. But I don't want to get into those exact numbers for operational reasons.

CULLIVER: Okay. But they would be largely personnel from this region?

CONROY: Yeah, it'll be a combination of, obviously, flight crews to fly the Wedgetail, ground support crews to maintain the aircraft, then a limited number of people to provide airfield support. So, most would come from Williamtown, but not all.

CULLIVER: Alright, and I should note that, yeah, Tim Owen told Drive yesterday on ABC Newcastle, 10 to 20 people are on the aircraft when it's in operation. So, just referring to those comments Tim Owen previously made, will they be safe Minister?

CONROY: Yes, we'll do our best. Obviously, the Middle East is a challenging environment, but this aircraft will be based in an unnamed Middle East country and it will fly well back from the Straits of Hormuz and the zone between Iran and the Gulf states. It's got a very powerful radar, so it's designed to be well back from the frontline but still able to detect the threats. So, this is something they're very familiar with doing – we've got great confidence in them.

CULLIVER: Do you think that Iran has the capability of identifying where it is and indeed reaching it with a rocket if it wants to?

CONROY: I'm not going to comment on that. The Iranian air defence system has been severely degraded by the US and Israeli strikes and the defence systems are mainly designed to stop aircraft flying over Iran. This aircraft will be flying hundreds of kilometres back from Iran. So, we've made an assessment that it will be in the correct spot to detect those threats without exposing itself. So, I don't want to get into hypotheticals, but this is a purely defensive measure and the aircraft will be well back from the front.

CULLIVER: Ok. When a request like this comes through and then Australia does agree to it, is it in kind? Does the UAE pay for ADF services or RAAF services? How does this work?

CONROY: No, this is us making a contribution to a friend. The relationship between us and the UAE has elevated massively. We've signed a Free Trade Agreement with them recently and we've worked together in the past. They have an airbase that the Australian Defence Force has used for decades now to support our deployments into places like Afghanistan. It was involved in the evacuation of Australians from Kabul. So, this is a gift to friends, friends who will point out that they were incredibly supportive of Australians stranded there. When thousands of Australians were stranded in the UAE, the UAE Government put them up in hotels at their expense. So, this is what friends do with other friends when they get into trouble.

CULLIVER: Does Australian support here contribute to securing the oil supply around the world, given the current concerns about that?

CONROY: Well, this is aimed at protecting lives in the UAE in the Gulf states. Obviously, it indirectly will detect missiles and drones that might be aimed at energy infrastructure in the region. And this is a really important point – none of the Gulf states are playing a role in attacking Iran. They’re literally innocent bystanders, and Iran has chosen to expand this conflict by indiscriminately attacking these countries, including their energy infrastructure. So, the Wedgetail will be there to detect incoming drones and missiles to allow UAE and other Gulf states to defend themselves – and that will also include defending their energy infrastructure.

CULLIVER: On 1233 ABC Newcastle, you are hearing this morning from the Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy, who is of course also your Federal Member for Shortland. We've been talking about the E-7A Wedgetail planes based at RAAF Williamtown, one of them to be deployed to the UAE, which we've been talking about extensively this morning. The element of this request I wanted to ask you about, Minister, was the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air missiles that will also be provided. What are they and what will they do?

CONROY: Yeah, so we'll be gifting these missiles to the UAE military. It's at their request – and these missiles are defensive missiles. They're missiles designed to destroy incoming missiles and drones. So, this is just another defensive system that we've gifted to the UAE so that they can defend their country, defend civilians, including the 115,000 Australians in the Middle East. And I think most reasonable Australians would support us contributing these defensive measures. We're not part of the conflict with Iran, but this is about us defending people caught in the crossfire.

CULLIVER: Okay? And so to be understood about these AMRAAMs, they cannot be used in an offensive way if the UAE decide – it’s obviously a hypothetical, but in terms of the capability of the AMRAAMS, they couldn't be used to attack Iran?

CONROY: No, they can't be used to strike land targets. They're purely, as the name suggests, air to air. So, they're there to destroy incoming drones and missiles so that they don't hit people and infrastructure in the UAE. It's purely defensive and it's completely in accord with us contributing to the collective self-defence of UAE under the UN Charter.

CULLIVER: The only other thing I want to ask you about this morning, Minister, was the news that the plan for a legislative change for potentially seeking asylum for the some visitors to Australia, overseas visitors planning to travel to Australia from some countries would be temporarily banned in an attempt by the Federal Government to stop a wave of people overstaying their visas due to a war in the Middle East, effectively blocking people from getting to this country and then being able to claim asylum. Is this an uncharitable approach from the Australian Government?

CONROY: No, this is about protecting the integrity and sustainability of Australia's immigration system – and this is a relatively simple measure that allows the Minister to make changes if circumstances change there. We're in a scenario where lots of people may have been issued visitor visas who now no longer would have been had those visas approved in the current situation. So, this just gives the Minister the power to maintain the integrity of the immigration system by saying if the circumstances have changed for visa applicants and they now wouldn't have been granted those visas, the Minister can take action. This is just about maintaining the integrity of our immigration system.

CULLIVER: And is Australia sending the message to the world, if you're coming from a war-torn country, if you'd like to seek a better life in Australia, we're not open, we don't want you?

CONROY: No. Our humanitarian intake is still there, and people obviously have rights to claim protection. What it says is if the circumstances have changed and the new circumstances mean you wouldn't have got a visa granted, we will take action to reflect that new reality. This is just about maintaining the integrity of the system in a way that's consistent with our international obligations.

CULLIVER: Minister, appreciate your time today.

CONROY: Thanks, Paul. Take care.

ENDS