Radio Interview, ABC RN Breakfast

SUBJECTS: Gambling reform; Immigration; Tony Burke & National Press Club; Exercise Pitch Black

SALLY SARA, HOST: Richard Marles is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, and joins me this morning from Darwin. Minister, welcome back to Radio National Breakfast.

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Sally. How are you?

SARA: Very well, thank you. Let's have a look at gambling. Firstly, the Communications Minister, Anika Wells, says she's having, quote, constructive discussions with the Coalition and the Greens. Is the government willing to make substantial changes to pass its gambling advertising laws?

MARLES: Well, I mean, our intention, obviously, is to work with the Parliament to get laws passed and to work across the parties in the Senate. But what I'd say is that what we have before the Parliament is the strongest reforms in respect of gambling advertising that have ever been put forward. I mean, we are doing more in terms of breaking the link between gambling advertising and sport, more in terms of protecting our kids from being exposed to gambling advertising on TV and radio at the times when they would be watching and listening. We're doing more in terms of supporting BetStop, which helps people who identify to restrict their own gambling habits. So, this is really important legislation and we'll work with the parties across the Parliament to get it passed.

SARA: And yet some of your own Labor colleagues, including Alicia Payne and Louise Miller-Frost, want the government's reforms to go further. We know that there is very significant and solid public support to go further. What message does that send about the government's reforms when even some within your own ranks are raising concerns openly?

MARLES: Well, I mean, this has been an issue that we've been working through over a long period of time. It is complex. There are differing views across the community. We understand that, and that's just part of what we are dealing with here. And it's also an area where you need to strike a balance, and we believe we've done that. But the point I would make is the one I just have, which is that in striking that balance, what we've brought forward is the strongest reforms to gambling advertising that have ever been put before the Parliament.

SARA: Because these are stronger than previous reforms, does that guarantee that they're adequate? And what's the community benefit of not going further?

MARLES: Well, I mean, there is a balance here to be struck. We're not saying that people should not be able to engage in betting. But there needs to be a balance and it's important –

SARA: This is not about whether people bet or not. This is about advertising, inducements and other issues, isn't it?

MARLES: Of course. Well, it is about advertising, as you say, which is the interaction between the industry and those who use it. But what's important is that we are putting in place measures which protect our kids, that's there. Measures which do try and break that link between gambling and sport. And again, that's what we've done here. And as well as supporting BetStop, so there are very strong measures here. We feel that this is a set of reforms which strikes the balance. You can see in terms of the views that are out there, you'll see views saying that we've gone too far and views that we haven't gone far enough –

SARA: Apart from industry, which other groups are saying that you're wanting to go too far?

MARLES: Well, there are differing views across the Parliament and across the community and we are seeking to strike a balance here –

SARA: But other than the wagering industry, which other groups are saying you're wanting to go too far?

MARLES: I mean, there are other views within the Parliament in relation to that and we feel that we have struck the right balance here and we will be working with the parties, other parties across the Parliament, to try and have our reforms passed.

SARA: So, can you confirm that the government is willing to make some changes to get this through?

MARLES: We have a proposition that we think strikes the right balance. Now, you know, we always speak to parties across the Parliament in order to have legislation passed. But we have a proposition in front of the Parliament that is a very strong proposition which we believe does strike the right balance. And that's the proposition that we are talking to other parties about.

SARA: You're listening to Radio National Breakfast. My guest is the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Richard Marles. You were Acting Prime Minister when a decision was made to shelve Tony Burke's speech to the National Press Club, Tony Burke, the Home Affairs Minister, about migration policies. Why was the decision made to cancel that speech? Delay it?

MARLES: Well, not cancel. I mean, Tony will be speaking at the National Press Club shortly. It's not unusual for dates to be moved around in people's diaries and in terms of presenting speeches of that kind. I think what's important here in terms of migration policy, it's complex. It's one that we've been working on since we've come to government. The migration system, obviously, is really important for Australia, both in terms of its quantity but its composition. We've actually brought net migration down by 45% from where its peak was in the aftermath of the pandemic. And our intention is to bring it down further so that we have this at a sustainable level, but also the composition being such that it supports our country and our economy, and that's a real focus on skilled migrants in terms of the composition. So, there's more work to be done here. Tony Burke will be talking about that and he'll be talking about that at the National Press Club at the earliest opportunity.

SARA: Who made the call to call off the National Press Club speech for this week?

MARLES: Well, I mean, firstly, this is a topic –

SARA: Was it you?

MARLES: No, this is a topic that we talk about in terms of the content of the policy in Cabinet and I'm not going to go into that, other than to say that the reports that are in the papers today are not right.

SARA: Which parts? What's incorrect?

MARLES: Well, we've had a very good conversation around a complex policy area within the Cabinet. I'm not going to go into it more than that. In terms of Tony's diary, that's managed by Tony and it's really not unusual to see dates moved around.

SARA: So, did Tony Burke call off the speech?

MARLES: Well, Tony manages his own diary, but he hasn't called off the speech.

SARA: Well, for this week it's been called off. It sounds like it'll be rescheduled. But was it his decision to not go ahead with the speech?

MARLES: Of course. And he manages his diary and he manages his public presentations. But, you know, he will be speaking at the National Press Club at the earliest opportunity. This is not an enormous thing to be changing dates.

SARA: It is unusual a couple of days before for a very senior minister to cancel, to call off a National Press Club.

MARLES: You keep wanting to use those words, but it's –

SARA: Well, it has been called off for this week –

MARLES: Which means that it's been postponed and changed. And that is the critical point here, Sally. Actually, moving around dates in a diary for senior members of government is very routine. It happens literally all the time. The speech hasn't been called off, a date has been changed. That literally happens every week and there's nothing more to it than that. Tony is very much leading the debate around, the internal discussion around this area of policy, is doing a great job. You can see that in terms of what we have been able to achieve in bringing the net migration numbers down.

SARA: Back to your portfolio. You're in Darwin at the end of Exercise Pitch Black, an international air combat mission which is held every two years. Representatives from Sweden and Finland have participated in the exercise for the first time this year. How do these sorts of activities help the Air Force? And what does it say about Australia's growing and changing strategic defence relationships?

MARLES: So, this is our most important air exercise that we do every two years. Like, it's a very big exercise. There's about two and a half thousand personnel who are here, 1,000 of whom are Australian. So, most of those participating are from other parts of the world. As you said, for the first time, we've got representatives from Finland and Sweden. It is really important in terms of literally exercising our capabilities and building interoperability and partnerships with other countries. But the fact that we've got so many countries participating with us, I think, does speak to the degree to which we are seen as a trusted partner, as a country that others want to work with, and a lot of those countries, obviously countries in the region. Literally this morning I have a bilateral meeting with my Filipino counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro. He's here to see his personnel participating in Pitch Black. We've had, for example, the first Japanese F-35s participating. But the US, Japan, all our major partners are participating here, and it is a very significant event in terms of developing and building our own capability, but very much developing those partnerships with other countries.

SARA: Minister, thank you so much for joining me this morning.

MARLES: Thanks, Sally.

ENDS