Television Interview, ABC News Breakfast

SUBJECT/S: Pam the Bird; China Missile Test-Firing; Prime Minister’s Apology

HOST, JAMES GLENDAY: Let’s bring in the Acting Prime Minister who is also the Defence Minister, Richard Marles, he is in Geelong for us this morning. Richard, welcome back to our show.

ACTING PRIME MINISTER, RICHARD MARLES: Thanks, James.

GLENDAY: Now I didn't get you on to talk about Pam the Bird but you are a Victorian. Some people love this artist, others think he's a public nuisance. So, what's your view? Obviously Pam the Bird is in many places in Geelong as well.

MARLES: Well, Pam the Bird I think comes from Geelong, but I think, you know, the system is handling this matter as it should. I think that's really the answer to the question and I think it's appropriate that the legal process takes its course.

GLENDAY: Many different things come from Geelong, that's for sure. Now we got you on because we wanted to ask you about this missile launch. What sort of message do you think China was trying to send by doing this while our Prime Minister is touring the Pacific? Or is there a chance that this timing was just coincidental?

MARLES: Look, I doubt that it's about the Prime Minister being in the Pacific but at the end of the day what we're seeing here is a long‑range missile test from China, which China itself has said is nuclear‑capable. It's been launched from a submarine, which also has implications here. This is China demonstrating a much greater range in terms of being able to deploy a nuclear weapon and ultimately what that is, is deeply destabilising. And it's why we are very concerned about it, why we've expressed that concern to China and why it runs completely counter to what we're trying to do, which is to build the peace, security and stability of the region in which we live and that's what the Vuvale Union treaty with Fiji is all about.

GLENDAY: Can you tell us where this was launched from and where the dummy warhead actually landed?

MARLES: Look, I mean we monitor our environment. It's not something that I can talk about publicly, but be assured that we monitor the environment around Australia with an unparalleled expertise. But going into the specifics of that is not something I can do.

GLENDAY: I appreciate our unparalleled expertise. Can you give us the closest landmass? That feels sort of quite important. Was it close to Australia? Was it close to one of our near neighbours?

MARLES: I mean, it's not particularly close but we're talking about the Pacific and in that sense what's relevant here is the capability that was being tested, the range that was being demonstrated and the fact that China itself has said that this would be a nuclear‑capable missile. And that fundamentally is deeply destabilising and that's why we're concerned about it, deeply concerned about it, and why we've expressed that concern to China directly.

GLENDAY: Just for our viewers though, was this close to the Australian mainland?

MARLES: Not particularly close, no. But it is a very significant capability which has been demonstrated and one which is very destabilising.

GLENDAY: Do you think that we should be expecting China to carry out more of these missile tests in our region, in our backyard? And should we be expecting them to do more things like circumnavigate our region as well?

MARLES: Well, I think what we are seeing is China extending its range in lots of different ways, both in terms of the distance that it can send its ships, its task groups, and also the distance that it can send its missiles. I mean, that is in fact what has been demonstrated by the tests and the exercises that China has undertaken. And obviously, you know, what we are focused on is building relationships in the Pacific and not just there, but Southeast Asia and more broadly in our region, and in fact, around the world, which is about providing for the collective peace and security of the region in which we live. And that's what we are seeking to do. And we are also doing that even in terms of increasing our own defence capability in a way which provides strategic reassurance to our neighbours. Which is to say, you know, we are very clear with our neighbours, with the world about why we invest in the technologies, in the military capability that we do. Our fundamental issue in relation to China is that we have seen a very dramatic military build‑up by China without that strategic reassurance, there really isn't an explanation as to why they are building the capabilities that they are and that is fundamentally destabilising.

GLENDAY: I just wanted to go back to what I was asking before. There's at least one report suggesting that this splashed down between Tonga and Nauru. Can you confirm that is the case? And was this filmed or recorded by any of our allies?

MARLES: Well look, it wasn't particularly close to Australia. I'm not going to go into the detail of where, I mean, if China ultimately goes into that, they do. But I can assure you it wasn't particularly close to Australia. But I think that it's less about the precise point as it is about the capability here, and I think that's what people need to focus on. This is a very significant capability in terms of the range that's been demonstrated and the means by which it's been launched, you know, from a submarine, and what it can carry. And that's really at the heart of the issue here, and that's what we have expressed our concern about, and that is what's fundamentally destabilising.

GLENDAY: It does seem to be a pretty clear message. Just before I let you go, you were sent out yesterday to defend the Prime Minister after his appearance on a podcast. Now, Anthony Albanese is very time poor. You're very time poor as well. You say no to a lot of interview requests. We appreciate you making time for us. Should the Prime Minister be spending time answering questions about what he gets up to in his private life? Is that a good use of the Albanese government's time?

MARLES: Well, I mean, the Prime Minister did an interview which is obviously different to the one that you and I are doing now– 

GLENDAY: Sure.

MARLES: And he's apologised for what he said. And really, I think that's where this matter is at fundamentally. And if we're going to go into this space, I mean, he leads a government which for the first time in Australian history, has an equal number of men and women in our Cabinet. Which has a majority of women, in fact, in our caucus. Which has overseen the smallest gender pay gap in Australia's history. So, there's no doubt that our Prime Minister personally, but is also leading a government which is completely committed to elevating the place of women within our society.

GLENDAY: Would you spend time doing an interview like this one?

MARLES: I mean, I think we seek to speak to the largest audience that we can and we live in a very different media environment today than certainly the one when I entered Parliament quite a while ago now. You know, it's obviously a kind of ongoing conversation about how to reach the broadest audience we can, and I think you can understand why we would be doing that but it's clearly a very different interview to the one that we're doing now and, you know, the Prime Minister has apologised for what he said. 

GLENDAY: Sure. Richard Marles, we appreciate you making time for our show and doing our interviews. Thanks for joining us.

MARLES: No worries. Thanks, James.

ENDS