Radio Interview, ABC RN Breakfast

SUBJECTS: Prime Minister’s National Address; Middle East Conflict; ANAO.

SALLY SARA, HOST: Richard Marles is the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Defence and joins me in our studio in Parliament House this morning. Minister, welcome back to Breakfast. 

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Morning Sally, how are you?

SARA: Did the Prime Minister owe Australians more details and more substance last night?

MARLES: Well, it was an important address last night. Australians are understandably feeling anxious about what is going on, a sense of uncertainty about the future – and that too is understandable because the future is uncertain. We've seen the biggest shock to petrol and diesel prices ever. And it's in that context that the Prime Minister, rightly, wanted to speak directly to the Australian people about what they're experiencing, what's coming down the track, but importantly what the government is doing and what Australians themselves can do. And that's what he explained last night.

SARA: If the key message was business as usual, why do that in a national address?

MARLES: Well, I think people are trying to come to terms with what all of this means and what they should be doing in this moment. I think that's particularly the case as we head into the Easter weekend. The Prime Minister was clear about the fact that you should go about business as usual. You should take those trips and visit family. But in the coming weeks, if there are options to take public transport, for example, and that's not available to everyone, but if it is available to some, then you should do that. And that's where we're at. On Monday at National Cabinet, we released the National Fuel Security Plan and really what that was trying to do was to say against an uncertain future, there are a range of steps that we may take. We necessarily have to work that out as we go along. But in terms of looking at how we might deal with questions of demand and distribution, they are all on the table. But right now where we're at is to, you know, take prudent steps where you can to not use fuel. And at the same time, governments are obviously working to secure supply, which we are, and to getting that distribution out to where it's needed.

SARA: Let's have a look at the situation in the Middle East. Overnight, US President Donald Trump demanded that Iran stop blocking the Strait of Hormuz or the US would bomb Iran, quote back to the stone age. A day earlier, he said the US wouldn't have anything to do with ensuring the security of ships passing through the Strait. What do you take from this mixed messaging?

MARLES: Well, I mean, what I'm obviously not going to do is a running commentary on what the President says and, you know, we obviously are very mindful of what the President is saying and we'll all be awaiting his address later. What we need to do is understand the uncertainty that exists, make decisions in respect of Australia's national interest in respect of the war, and that's what we have been doing. And that has led us to take some steps in terms of having our E7 Wedgetail in the region, supporting the defence of the countries of the Gulf, and particularly the UAE. And then managing the situation as it unfolds at home. And what that means is doing everything we can to continue the supply of fuel to the country, which is what we are doing, but also making sure that we are readying ourselves for whatever possibility comes down the road in the coming months.

SARA: Can you confirm whether Australia is attending the UK summit on the Strait of Hormuz and what we're expecting to come out of that?

MARLES: Yeah, we will be participating in that. It'll be a virtual meeting, as I understand, in the next 24 hours and the Foreign Minister will be representing Australia at that meeting. And it follows on from Australia signing up to the UK‑led statement more than a week ago in respect of the Straits of Hormuz. I mean, that statement gives a sense of where we're at. I mean, obviously all of those countries and very much Australia have an interest in seeing the Straits of Hormuz opened as soon as possible. We will look to what Australia can do when conditions– 

SARA: What sort of things could we do? 

MARLES: Well, I mean, firstly, this depends on when conditions allow and that's not the circumstance that we're in right now. I'm reluctant to speculate in detail about all of that, other than to say our E-7 Wedgetail is in the region right now and it's providing, or doing important work in terms of contributing to the defence of the countries of the Gulf, in particular the UAE. 

SARA: As a middle power, if other middle power nations are sending assets to reopen and/or secure the Strait, is that something we would consider?

MARLES: Well, as I say, we've got an asset in the region right now which is– 

SARA: I'm talking about helping the Strait stay open with naval assets, perhaps.

MARLES: Well, we will work through with our friends and allies about how we can usefully contribute. Obviously we have an interest in the Straits of Hormuz being open and that's why we signed onto the statement more than a week ago and that's why we'll be participating in this meeting.

SARA: So is Australia keeping an open mind in that regard? You're not ruling out further assets going to the region?

MARLES: Well, we will work constructively with our friends and partners in this meeting that's coming up, with countries like the UK and France, and we'll look at how we can constructively contribute here. And you can see that that's what we've done up until now, which is why we do have a significant asset in the region providing for the defence of the countries of the Gulf, in particular the UAE.

SARA: More broadly, given what we've seen, does Australia have faith that the US would honour its ANZUS obligations if Australia were threatened?

MARLES: Oh, I mean the Alliance– I mean the answer to that question is yes. The Alliance is as important today as it has ever been and it has stood the test of time from, well, the moment ANZUS was signed in 1951, but really predating that going back to the Second World War and even earlier. So, I mean our relationship and our Alliance with America is enduring and we have absolute faith in that.

SARA: On a different matter in your own portfolio, the Senate yesterday passed a motion to reinstate the annual report from the Audit Office into defence major projects. It's one of the key sources of transparency about defence spending, which is large. But a Labor‑led audit committee had moved to shelve it should it continue to be published in your view?

MARLES: Well look, we seek to be as transparent as we can be and that has been our record since we've been in government. We take into account, you know, the security situations that we find ourselves in and what information can be provided and obviously wherever the Parliament ends up being at is what we will do. But our fundamental position here is that we want to be a transparent government and that's what we're being in respect of defence.

SARA: So, you're happy if it's reinstated?

MARLES: Well, I mean we will obviously work with the Senate and the Parliament no matter what happens.

SARA: Would Labor be getting behind the motion to reinstate it?

MARLES: Well, we've taken the position that we have– 

SARA: Is that transparency really?

MARLES: It is absolutely transparency and you know, we live in a world where there are different issues in respect of what information is provided and the national security that goes around that and we need to manage all of that which is driving the positions that we're taking, but ultimately we work with the Senate.

SARA: Richard Marles, thank you for joining me in the studio this morning.

MARLES: Thanks.

ENDS