Television Interview, Sky News First Edition

SUBJECT/S: Chinese Missile Test-Firing; Vuvale Union and Ocean of Peace Alliance; ASIO; Port of Darwin; Prime Minister’s Apology

HOST, PETER STEFANOVIC: You're watching First Edition, folks, and thanks for your company this morning. Well, China has flexed its muscles again with a reminder of its military power by launching a long range missile into the South Pacific hours after Australia signed a security deal with Fiji. Joining us live this morning, the Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles. Good to see you this morning, Richard. So, so much for a stabilising stabilisation in the relationship.

ACTING PRIME MINISTER, RICHARD MARLES: Well, we are concerned about what China has done and we've expressed that concern to China. I mean this is a long range missile test which China itself has said would be nuclear capable. It's been launched from a submarine, which also implies something about the range that China is building in terms of deploying nuclear capabilities, and all of that is obviously destabilising to the region and that's our concern here. You know, what we are about by contrast is working with the countries of our region, working with our neighbours, signing just the fourth alliance in our history with Fiji and that's important bilaterally but it's about Fiji and Australia working together to literally build an ocean of peace in the Pacific, but to provide for the collective security of the region in which we live.

STEFANOVIC: What details do you have about it? Do you know where it was going?

MARLES: Look, I mean China has obviously conveyed to us, we have a sense of this. I can't go into it publicly but clearly, you know, we monitor our environment as you would expect and we do that with expertise but we are concerned about the test that's taken place and we've expressed that very clearly to China.

STEFANOVIC: Are they sending a message to us after signing a deal with Fiji? Is that what it's about?

MARLES: Look, I, to be honest, I doubt that but I mean what's significant here is it is a long range missile test and one which China itself has said it could be nuclear capable. It launched from a submarine, I mean that’s the message that's being sent- or the test which is being done here is a display of an extended range that China now has in terms of deploying a nuclear weapon. And that's obviously very concerning. 

STEFANOVIC: I mean, at the end of the day though, I mean it just shows that we are powerless to stop whatever the PRC wants to do.

MARLES: Well, I mean firstly it is important that we express our voice. But beyond that, you know, what really matters here is understanding our strategic environment and then meeting it. And that's why you see Australia significantly increasing our defence capability on the one hand, but also working with our friends and neighbours in our region and around world to provide for the collective peace and security of the region in which we live. And we are doing that in an unprecedented way. I mean, if you look at the agreements that we've signed with Indonesia, with PNG, we're working on one with Solomons, with Vanuatu, now with Fiji, of course, we've got a strong relationship with both France and New Zealand. I mean, we are building relationships with our neighbours in a way that has never been done before at a defence and security level. And that's really important in terms of providing for Australia's own national security, but it's also all of these countries working together to provide for the peace and stability of the regions in which we live.

STEFANOVIC: Okay, when you say you've expressed your concern, what do you mean by that? Is that just through the media or have you actually spoken to your counterpart?

MARLES: We have expressed the concern at a direct government to government level, both in Canberra and Beijing. As the Foreign Minister said yesterday, you can expect that when there is the next opportunity for Ministerial meetings, this will be a topic that will also be discussed there. But we have already, at a government-to-government level, made our position clear.

STEFANOVIC: Okay, so does that mean you've spoken to the Ambassador here, China's Ambassador to Australia?

MARLES: Well, I'm not going to go into the detail of it, but both in Canberra and in Beijing, we have directly expressed at a government level our concern about this test.

STEFANOVIC: Well, on the Ambassador. Last week, Xiao Qian launched a surprising attack on ASIO, accusing us of fabricating spying claims against China. Is there a problem with China's Ambassador to Australia?

MARLES: Look, I'm not going to go there. I mean, obviously what I would be really clear in saying about ASIO is that that's not what ASIO is doing. ASIO is a fantastic organisation of the highest quality whose mission is to keep Australians safe and performs that mission with excellence. And it's as simple as that. But it also does it with integrity and sincerity. So, I mean, completely reject the allegations that are made in relation to ASIO.

STEFANOVIC: Okay, well, with that said, should the Ambassador be formally summoned for an official rebuke?

MARLES: Look, again, I'm not going to walk down that path, Pete. At the end of the day, ASIO does a fantastic job in protecting Australians and we completely reject the allegation that's been made in respect to that.

STEFANOVIC: Does any of this give you any sort of pause in the pursuit of more security deals with our Pacific neighbours?

MARLES: No, in fact, quite the opposite, really. I mean, I think what this says is how important it is that we are building the closest relationships that we can with our neighbours, but also our partners more broadly in our region and around the world. I mean, that's what it says to me, as it also is clearly really important that we're developing our own capabilities, which is what we're doing.

STEFANOVIC: Just quickly, where are we at with the Port of Darwin?

MARLES: Well, the Port of Darwin is where it's been and that is that, you know, for a long time we've made clear, actually, going back to its original sale that we opposed that sale, but given what we inherited when we came to government, which is- we want to see the Port of Darwin return- Yeah, and we want to see the Port of Darwin return to Australian hands, and that process is being pursued.

STEFANOVIC: I mean, China's got a problem with that. It's putting up a fight. Well, the company is. Have you got a buyer ready at all?

MARLES: Well, I mean, we need to go through the processes that are underway and we'll work through all of that. But the important point to make is that we've made clear we want to see the Port of Darwin in Australian hands.

STEFANOVIC: All right. Do you have a buyer ready at all, though?

MARLES: Well, again, there's processes that we need to go through and I don't want to, you know, undermine all of that. We're confident that this can be put into Australian hands, but there is a process which we need to work through.

STEFANOVIC: Okay. Never thought I'd ask this question; but if you were asked in an interview, Richard Marles, about shagging Kylie Minogue, what would your answer have been?

MARLES: Well, I'm really sure, Pete, that you're not asking me that question on this show. I mean, obviously what we're talking about here is a very different interview to the one that you and I normally undertake. And the Prime Minister has clearly apologised for what he said and we should be accepting that apology. But also, let's just take a step back. I mean, the Prime Minister leads a government which for the first time in Australian history, has an equal number of men and women in the Cabinet, has a majority of women in our caucus, has led a government which has overseen the gender pay gap at its lowest level in our history. I mean, there's no doubt that Anthony Albanese personally, but the government he leads is utterly committed to elevating the place of women in our society.

STEFANOVIC: You would have answered it a different way, quick footed maybe, given that a no comment, Richard Marles?

MARLES: Pete, you're not asking me that question on Sky in the morning. I'm absolutely certain of that. So, obviously I'm not going to walk down that path with you.

STEFANOVIC: Okay, does this, I mean, just, we'll just close on a different note then. Do you need to restrategize the interviews that you do though? Because I mean, if you're going down low brow kind of interviews, you run the risk of getting these kinds of responses which can, which can kind of blow up in your face. So, do you need to restrategize things from a PR or media point of view?

MARLES: Oh, look, you know, I don't know about all that. I think, you know, we live in a very different sort of media environment. Others, to be frank, who have got much greater skill than me in terms of media management, think through how all of this should be done. But I think, you know, we are about trying to reach the broadest audience that we can- that's what you would expect. So, I don't think it's really about all that. Look, at the end of the day, the Prime Minister has apologised for the comments that he's made and I think that's where this is at.

STEFANOVIC: Richard Marles, good to have you with us this morning. Quite a range of topics we discovered there. Thank you. We'll talk to you again soon. 

MARLES: Thanks, Pete.

ENDS