Television Interview, Nine Today Show

SUBJECTS: Foreign Fighters' Families; Farrer by-election; Federal Budget; Defence spending.

ALISON PIOTROWSKI, HOST: I want to bring in Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, live in Melbourne. Minister, thanks for your time. Janai Safar faces serious terror charges. The slavery accusations levelled at the two women in Melbourne are also particularly heinous. I mean, how did that not meet the threshold for a temporary exclusion order? How come they were allowed in?

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Well, I mean, we're talking about Australian citizens. But let's also remember that during the time of the Coalition Government, there are 40 people involved in this conflict who came back to Australia. Not just brides, but actually ISIS fighters who were also Australian citizens at the time. But these, look, these people are not receiving support from the Government. They have not received any repatriation support from the Government and they've been met by the full force of the law on arriving to Australia, which is exactly what we said we would occur. And I really emphasise that our security agencies are doing their job in respect of them and making sure that we are keeping Australians safe, and that is how this is playing out.

MICHAEL ATKINSON: Minister, you say they haven't received any support from the Government, but one of the ISIS brides who return to Melbourne, Zahra Ahmed, may be eligible, potentially for tens of thousands in taxpayer benefits. How do you respond? How do you explain this?

MARLES: Well, I mean, they're not receiving support from the Government. It is as simple as that. And what we said from the outset is that if people like this came back, they would be met by the full force of the law. What we've been focused on is ensuring that our security agencies are doing everything within their power, obviously, to keep Australians safe and to play the role they should in respect of these people. And that is exactly what has happened here.

ATKINSON: Minister, if they're receiving taxpayer money, isn't that support from the government?

MARLES: Well, I mean, you're speculating about it. I'm making it really clear that they've not received any taxpayer support. They've not been repatriated. 

PIOTROWSKI: Will they though?

MARLES: They've not received any assistance from the Government in terms of being repatriated back to Australia. Most of the adults who have come back have actually faced the full force of the law, and obviously that is now a matter which is in the criminal justice process, and so that will play its course independent of government. We have met this group in the way that it should have been met. There has been no support to bring these people back, back to Australia. And that has been really clear from the outset.

PIOTROWSKI: Minister, Nine News believes that there's approximately 21 women and children still remaining in the camp in northeast Syria. Watching this play out, wanting to come here, what happens to them?

MARLES: Well, I mean, I can only say to you, the Government is not repatriating any of these people back to Australia. And what we are doing is making sure that our security agencies are focused on keeping Australians safe, and that means looking at all the threats in respect of anyone who might return to this country. And anybody who has engaged in criminal activity will be met with the full force of the law if they return to this country. And that is exactly what has occurred. And that is as simple as it gets. And again, I repeat, when the Coalition were in government, we saw 40 people come back and not just brides, but actual ISIS fighters come back to this country during that period of time. Clearly these people are Australian citizens. They have some rights in respect of that. But the Government also has a right to be making sure that the full force of the law is brought to bear on these people. And that is exactly what's occurring.

ATKINSON: Alright, Minister, changing topic now, all eyes on the Farrer by-election today, One Nation candidate David Farley is gaining traction. How closely will you and your colleagues in the Labor Party be watching this race?

MARLES: Well, obviously it'll be very interesting to see what plays out tonight. It does seem to be a close-run contest, but I think the real story here is that, you know, Farrer is a seat that's just been held by the former leader of the Liberal Party. It was held by Tim Fischer. This is a blue-ribbon Coalition seat. And if the Coalition don't retain Farrer tonight, that says everything about where the Liberal Party and the Coalition is at. It's a real test here for Angus Taylor. And I think the other point to make is that if One Nation does end up winning, they will do so with Liberal support. And that in turn says a lot about where the modern Liberal Party is at right now.

PIOTROWSKI: Minister, moving on to the budget, we've seen a $15 billion investment towards drone defence. How high is Defence on the spending priority right now?

MARLES: Well, Defence is very much front and centre in terms of the spending priority of the Government. And that's why you've seen really record investments in terms of Defence over the last few years. And what's in this Budget is one of the biggest steps that we've taken in respect to increasing Defence spending. We've put an additional $117 billion over the planning decade into the Defence budget. In our four years in government, we have literally done 12 times as much as what the Liberals did in their nine years in terms of increasing Defence spending. But we'll be focused also in the Budget about prudent management of the Budget, which we have been from the outset, looking at ways in which we can assist Australians with the challenges of the cost-of- living, but also really focusing on productivity and cutting red tape.

ATKINSON: Minister, one of the promises the Government made heading into the last federal election was not to touch negative gearing, capital gains tax. It appears that in the Budget forthcoming, there's going to be a backflip on that. Are you comfortable with the Government breaking a pretty key election promise on taxes?

MARLES: Well, look, I'm not about to give, you'll forgive me, give you a scoop on the Saturday before the budget. Exactly what we have come on Tuesday. 

PIOTROWSKI: Why not?

MARLES: No, I know, I'm party-pooper, I'm sorry about that. But people are just going to have to wait to see what's in the Budget on Tuesday night. But what I can say is that, you know, we will be very focused on prudently managing the budget. Since we've been in government, we've delivered something around $114 billion worth of savings and reprioritisation in the Budget. You know, we've kept spending growth around 1.7 percent. When the Liberals were in government, that was around 4.1. That's why we've been able to deliver two surpluses and save a whole lot of Liberal Party debt. And that, that will bring that same fiscal restraint into focus in terms of the Budget that is delivered on Tuesday night.

PIOTROWSKI: Some careful dancing around the negative gearing, tax benefits.

ATKINSON: Very agile this morning. 

PIOTROWSKI: Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, thanks for your time this morning on Today.

MARLES: Thanks, Ali.

ENDS