Television Interview, Today Show

SUBJECT/S: Submarine Rotational Force-West; Delivering Joint Advanced Tactical Missiles for the Australia’s Air Force; Immigration; Tony Burke & National Press Club

SAM ARMATAGE, HOST: To discuss, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles joins me now live from Darwin. Deputy PM, good morning and welcome. Now, your government insists this is not a US base just outside of Perth, at Garden Island. But to everyday Australians, that many American troops arriving certainly sounds like one?

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's a rotation, something that we've been talking about now since the beginning of 2023. So, none of this is new. It'll be the Submarine Rotation Force-West. We're spending about $8 billion on readying HMAS Stirling for the beginning of that, which will commence at the end of next year, in December of 2027. It's actually 1,200 personnel, but there are others coming, like civilians, contractors and family, which brings that number up to what you've just quoted. But this is a really important step in the AUKUS program and Australia acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine capability. And America operating from HMAS Stirling will be really important in terms of giving us the opportunity to get the skills to work on nuclear-powered submarines, to work in them. We actually have submariners working in them right now. And this is a critical step in terms of us being able to develop our own capability.

ARMATAGE: Are you concerned that hosting four operational American subs, thousands of troops, could make Australia a bigger target?

MARLES: No. I mean, what this does is help build our own capability and it's really important that Australia has a long-range submarine capability. When you take a step back and look at the map, we are a three-ocean nation. The idea that we wouldn't have a long-range submarine capability makes no sense at all. And it's really important that we are pursuing AUKUS because that's our pathway to doing it. This is not an easy step to take. This is really the biggest leap in our military capability in more than a century. And so we will need to have the opportunity to work with these submarines, which is what's being provided through Submarine Rotation Force-West. We've already had an increased number of American visits of nuclear-powered submarines to HMAS Stirling and that's been happening since 2023. So, you know, we are well down the path here. Getting the SRF-West up and running by the end of next year is really one of the first critical milestones of the AUKUS program and it's very much on track and we're really excited about that.

ARMATAGE: Ok, you've also announced that Australia is going to spend $736 million on US-made air-to-air missiles. What capability do these missiles buy us? How far could they reach?

MARLES: Well, we don't go into the precise numbers, but you're right in referencing range because the critical increase in capability here is an increase in range. So, the Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, which we will have operating on all of our fighter planes soon, so it's our Growlers, our Super Hornets and our F-35s, really will extend the air-to-air missile range of that capability.

ARMATAGE: Could they reach China?

MARLES: Well, we're talking about air, we're talking about air-to-air. So, that's not really that kind of capability. But right now we are doing Exercise Pitch Black. In fact, today is the last day of that. That's why I'm in Darwin and that's working with 20 other countries in a major air exercise. And when you're looking at air forces and fighter planes coming up against each other, the range that you have with your missiles, with your air-to-air capability, is fundamental in terms of being able to win that contest. And this greatly enhances the ability of our fighter planes and of our Air Force. So, we're very, again, very excited about this capability coming on board.

ARMATAGE: Ok, finally, Deputy PM, Tony Burke pulled the pin on his major migration speech yesterday that was meant to be delivered to the Press Club. Your Cabinet must be pretty divided on the issue of migration, immigration right now?

MARLES: Look, that's not right. I mean, I've seen those reports. I don't know where they come from, but they're not right. I'm not going to go into Cabinet discussions. Tony will be speaking to the National Press Club at the earliest opportunity. It's not unusual for dates to be moved around. So, he's going to be addressing the National Press Club.

ARMATAGE: So, the reports that Cabinet was divided are not true?

MARLES: It's just not right. Look, what's important here is that in terms of what we've done with migration, we've brought net migration down by 45% from its peak that we inherited in the aftermath of the pandemic. So, we are focused on putting in place measures which bring migration down, but also which focus our migration program on what we need, and that's skilled migrants having the skills which are critical for our economy. We continue to work through policies in relation to that. And as I say, Tony will be making his speech shortly. But it's a really important area of policy and you can see with what we've already done that we are making progress in bringing that number down.

ARMATAGE: Ok, Richard Marles, thank you for your time this morning.

MARLES: Thanks, Sam.

END