Television Interview, ABC News Breakfast

SUBJECTS: Middle East Conflict; Fuel supply; Jacinta Allan.

JAMES GLENDAY, HOST: Well, let's bring in the Defence Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who joins us now from beautiful Geelong. Richard, welcome back to the program. 

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Good morning.

GLENDAY: Now, Donald Trump says that Australia has not been great and that he's a little bit surprised by that. Have we rejected any official requests from the White House?

MARLES: Well, we've not. I mean, very early on we've committed an E‑7 aircraft to the defence of the Gulf states – it’s actually a significant commitment from Australia. The one request we've had from the United States has been in respect of providing support for the defence of the Gulf states. You know, while the deployment of the E‑7 was in response to a request from the UAE, that's actually what it is doing and it's doing really important work. And we're providing AMRAAMs to the UAE as well. So, we are focused on that. I mean, we're looking at all the requests that we get from countries around the world, including the United States, and obviously we answer them in the context of our national interest and defending the states of the Gulf is really important given our relationship with them, but also given that the UAE particularly is home to one of the largest expat populations of Australia that there is. So, we will continue to respond to this. We are playing our part. We have signed on to the UK‑led statement around providing for the opening up of the Straits of Hormuz when conditions allow, and we will continue to play our part.

GLENDAY: So, what on earth is Donald Trump talking about? Why do you think he's saying that Australia hasn't been great?

MARLES: Well, look, I mean, the last thing I'm going to do is give a running commentary on what the President has said. All we can do is respond to this situation, respond to the requests that are made of us, but doing so very much with a focus on what is Australia's interest. And that is what we're doing. And as it turns out, that has led to a pretty significant commitment that we've made to the region in terms of the deployment of the E‑7.

GLENDAY: The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, of course, is having a big effect on the Australian economy. Everyone can see that as they drive past their local petrol station. Are you open to sending more military assets to keep it open if a ceasefire, if a deal, can be reached over the next 10 days?

MARLES: Well, look, we've signed on to the UK‑led statement, which is about doing what can be done to open up Straits of Hormuz. Really, that is very much when conditions allow. And so, you know, it's a. It's a conversation that is happening, but it's really an assessment that needs to be made if and when we get to a point that the hostilities have ceased and there is a situation which allows something to happen there. I'd emphasise again that the E‑7 is in the region and it is playing a really important part, and it’s playing an important role in respect of the defence of the Gulf states. We will work this through with our friends and our partners to look at what role we can play.

GLENDAY: I just want to be more specific, though. I mean, if conditions allow and there is a ceasefire, will Australia be involved in making sure that oil and gas transits through that strait safely?

MARLES: Well, obviously we want to see the Straits of Hormuz open and clearly we want to see oil flowing, and not just oil, but things like agricultural urea flowing through the Straits of Hormuz. That's really important. Important in terms of the global supply chain. It's obviously going to be really important in terms of what Australia needs going forward as well. So, we are utterly committed to that. We will work through the specifics of what we can do with our friends and partners. We have signed on to that statement, so we are absolutely committed to that. But, you know, I'm not about to speculate publicly about what would be the best way in which we could contribute. We do have an E‑7 there right now, which is playing a really important role, but we'll work through this and we are working through this with our friends and our partners based on when conditions allow. But, you know, obviously we don't have certainty about when that situation arises.

GLENDAY: No, no one does.

GLENDAY: I mean, you say you don't want to have a running commentary, even though the US President's sort of giving Australia a slap, saying we haven't been great. Your German counterpart has been in Australia. He's been much, much more direct, saying that the war in Iran is illegal. He's criticised the way the US speaks about allies and treats allies. And it's made it pretty. Mr Trump needs to do more to fix what he started himself. What is it that Australia is worried about? Are you worried that we'll be punished if we speak directly to the White House about our concerns?

MARLES: Well, it's not that. We speak to our national interest. I mean, we are focused on Australia's place in the world and on the decisions that we make and we speak to them. That's really the only point that we make. And that's why we've made the decision we have to supply in this instance an E‑7 to the Middle East. But it's also why we have given our very clear voice about how we see the conflict in the Middle East. I mean, we obviously do not want to see a nuclear‑enabled Iran. We are deeply concerned with the way in which Iran has treated its own citizens. And so that does absolutely form part of how we have responded in respect of all of this. But equally, you know, we want to see peace as soon as possible and we very much welcome steps that have been taken to walk down that path. Now that's an articulation of where Australia stands in respect of this and we focus on our own voice.

GLENDAY: Ok, obviously you're not going to get drawn any more on that, so I'll move on. You're not far from one of Australia's few remaining refineries – one of two that is left. Off the back of this, does Australia need much more oil and fuel storage here so that we can better withstand these sorts of global shocks that we are vulnerable to?

MARLES: Well, I mean it would have been better if we'd had more refineries, that's, that's for sure. And under the former government we saw a number of refineries close and that is very much to the detriment of the country. And we, you know, we can obviously that's put in the sharp relief in the context of the current circumstances. I think it also bears out how important the refinery here is in Corio, but also the other refinery in the country which is in Brisbane. It is the case that working on greater fuel storage is important as well. And that's what we've done since we've come to government and we've increased the nation's fuel storage. So, you know, it is a critical question which goes to the nation's resilience. I mean, it's actually something that was highlighted in the Defence Strategic Review and informs a whole lot of our thinking in terms of our strategic landscape and the kind of defence force as a result that we need to build based on, you know, what our vulnerabilities are. But building bigger resilience for the country is really important and that's what we're focused on doing.

GLENDAY: Just before I let you go, Richard Marles, you are obviously a very key and influential member of the Labor right faction in Victoria. Does the Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan have an internal problem? Is she the right person to lead your party to the state election later this year?

MARLES: Well, look, I'm not about to go into questions of what's happening at a state level other than to say, I think—

GLENDAY: That’s hardly a ringing endorsement, though?

MARLES: Well, I hadn't finished my sentence—other than to say that I think Jacinta Allan is doing a great job as the Premier of Victoria and, you know, she is leading the state. Well, I'm confident about how this will, how she will lead going into the state election. And Jacinta Allan is very much enjoying the support of the party.

GLENDAY: Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, thanks for joining us from Geelong this morning.