Television Interview, Today Show

SUBJECTS: Biggest Defence export deal in history; Polls; Keir Starmer

SARAH ABO, HOST: Well, Australia and Canada have inked a $2.5 billion defence export deal. The largest in our history. So, to discuss, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles joins us live now from Parliament House. Deputy PM, good to see you. So, you finally have Donald Trump to thank for something. If it wasn't him threatening to annex Canada, you might not have got this deal over the line?

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: No, I don't think that's right. We've been working with Canada for a while, but this is a big deal. This is the biggest defence export that our country's seen – it's $2.5 billion. And what this will do, ultimately, is support a thousand direct and indirect jobs in Australia. We're very excited about this. And the two biggest defence export deals that Australia's ever seen have been done on this, under this government, because we've got a real focus on defence export.

ABO: So, the technology is coming from Australia. Will the radars actually be built here in Australia or over in Canada?

MARLES: They will build in Canada, but we will be helping them. So, as I say, this will support a thousand jobs in Australia. I think the way to think about this, though, is that, going forward, we will be partners in this technology. And so Canada is definitely benefiting from the decades of investment that we've made into this technology. It first began here in Australia in the 1980s, but we will be benefiting from Canada spending hundreds of billions of dollars in the future on R and D to see this technology progress. And so it's a fantastic thing that we're able to share this major platform with a country which has very similar circumstances to our own in terms of not just strategic alignment, but clearly geography.

ABO: And you have been obviously travelling and strengthening ties with our defence allies. You were recently in the UK, at which time your UK defence counterpart resigned. Now, we've seen the Brit Prime Minister quit as well. There's obviously been a vote of no confidence in him. I mean, you've had a front row seat to all this political turmoil over there?

MARLES: Well, I think one of the things that we see, with events playing out overnight, is how difficult public life is. And all of us feel, I think, for Keir Starmer in that sense. It's a very tough job. But Keir has been a great friend of Australia, he's been a great partner with us in terms of the progress of AUKUS. And obviously, this is a matter for Britain, and we'll see how it plays out over the coming weeks and months. But we very much appreciate his support of the relationship with Australia and his support for AUKUS.

ABO: But does it feel a bit close to home, Deputy PM? Because, like Starmer, Anthony Albanese won the last election in a landslide. And, like Nigel Farage's Reform Party, Pauline Hanson's One Nation is on the up and rising significantly here in Australia, are these warning signs about what might be to come for us, for the Labor Party, for the government and Anthony Albanese?

MARLES: Look, I think there are different circumstances here.

ABO: And how are they different?

MARLES: Well, I mean, having, I guess, lived through this in the earlier part of my career, the way politics plays out is very specific to particular parts of the world. And what we're seeing happen, with what's playing out in Britain, is obviously a matter for them.

ABO: This is unprecedented though, Deputy PM. I mean, we're seeing the One Nation rise here in NSW that don't have a single seat in Parliament, they could potentially have double digits after the NSW state election?

MARLES: Well, I mean, in terms of what's happening here, and this is what politicians say, but it is literally what we are focused on doing. I mean, Pauline Hanson and Angus Taylor can keep talking about what they will. What's really clear is that neither of them can govern without the other. They will need to help each other. And when it comes to all of the issues that we're facing around cost of living, you know, we're focused on cutting taxes, on making sure that there's bulk billing, that we're increasing that, on making childcare more affordable. Pauline Hanson and Angus Taylor are opposed to all of that. They've literally voted against all of those things in the Parliament. That's what they stand for. So, we'll keep focusing on the challenges of cost of living in Australia, and Pauline Hanson, Angus Taylor will keep working together to get in the way of all of that.

ABO: All right, well, just finally, Deputy, we have you. New modelling in The Age this morning has shown that house prices in Melbourne and Sydney will be falling drastically. Investors are fleeing. Developers are freezing. Affordable projects are falling apart. Current homeowners are looking at a $100,000 wipeout in the value of their own homes. Is this what you wanted to see happen?

MARLES: Well, I think, if we look over the longer term, and people buy houses over the longer term, we will see housing prices continue to grow. What this is about, though, is trying to see a greater alignment in the growth of housing prices with the growth of wages. And we do want to see housing become more affordable, see more Australians get into the housing market, see more first time buyers. But we'll obviously see house prices continue to grow, but it is making sure that that happens with a greater alignment in the growth of wages.

ABO: All right, Deputy PM, thanks for your time this morning. Appreciate it.

MARLES: Thanks, Sarah

ENDS