Television Interview, ABC News Breakfast

SUBJECTS: Helen Haines; HMAS Leeuwin; Australia-PNG relationship; PNG Ministerial Forum; ADF Recruitment; Pukpuk Treaty; PNG Chiefs NRL team.

JAMES GLENDAY, HOST: We're joined by the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, who, as we mentioned, is in Papua New Guinea. Richard, welcome back and thanks for making time for us.

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

GLENDAY: I'm well, thank you. I'm going to get to your visit in a moment, but I'd just like to start with this attack on Helen Haines in your home state of Victoria. The state's going to an election, of course, next month. Do you think there now needs to be more security for politicians and for campaign events?

MARLES: Well, look, I think when it comes to that, obviously our agencies are monitoring all of that. We take the advice that they give us in terms of what security is needed we put in place the security that is required based on that advice. I think all of us are experiencing that the environment is tougher out there, but we also want to have an environment or a way which we do politics, which allows politicians to engage with their constituents. I think that's really important as well. We actually have seen an increase in funding for security in the last budget, but in terms of the actual election campaign coming up, we'll take the advice of the authorities as they assess it.

GLENDAY: Do you ever personally feel unsafe when you're out and about?

MARLES: Look, I'm very fortunate to have a security detail and I've expressed to them, actually, in the last, you know, 24 hours, 48 hours after this event, how grateful I am for them. I probably should be saying that to them more. They do make me feel safe. I'm mindful that not everyone involved in public life has the benefit of that. Throughout my time as an MP, being able to engage directly with my constituents has been something that's been very important. I think it is a feature of public life in Australia that we're able to do that. And quite often people will comment on how this can happen here and it doesn't happen in other parts of the world. But I think it is getting tougher. There's just no doubt about that, which is why the Prime Minister has talked about trying to turn the temperature down. And I think that is a call that we need to heed. In our history, if you take a step back, politics has been conducted in Australia in a way, which I think is underpinned by a sense of respect and grace where, you know, we can acknowledge people's differences, prosecute a debate robustly, but at the same time acknowledge that those with a different political opinion come to this with the same sincerity as ourselves. It's really important that we continue to think about that, keep that foremost in our mind. Firstly, you know, for those of us who are engaged in the public debate it has to start with the way in which politicians speak about each other. I think the media has a role to play here as well, but all of us need to be doing what we can to turn the temperature down so that we can engage in this debate in a respectful way.

GLENDAY: Yeah, I think that is a fair point. Now, of course, you're in PNG and this is the first big meeting since the Pukpuk Military Alliance was announced. As part of that alliance, you're trying to actively recruit PNG citizens into our military. How many have you recruited so far?

MARLES: Well, this is a process which is just starting. So, from the 16th of November, we will be opening applications here in Papua New Guinea for Papua New Guineans to directly apply to become a part of the Australian Defence Force. We will be doing this as a pilot program. To begin with, the numbers are quite small, so around 50 is the plan for next year and about 50 the year after that. I've got to say, over the journey, you know, when we think about where we'll be 10 years down the track, we hope that this is an opportunity to recruit thousands of people into the ADF. But right now we want to start small and slow and to get this right. But this is exciting because for the first time, by this time next year, we hope that we will see Papua New Guineans who have gone through a 16 week course here in PNG, who've obviously met all the requirements in terms of their entrance, actually wearing the uniform of the Australian Defence Force and they will become Australian citizens. They will keep their PNG citizenship and in that sense they will literally be the embodiment of the alliance. They will be both PNG and Australian citizens. They're defending both of our countries. And this is really good from an Australian point of view, we need the numbers to increase our defence force over the next decade or so. It's fantastic from a PNG point of view, it's giving opportunities to young people here which didn't exist before. And it's a real statement about how close our two countries now are with PNG as an alliance partner. And as you say, this is actually the 32nd annual PNG Australia Ministerial Forum, but it's the first that we've ever done as alliance partners. And really the way in which we are now engaging with each other is completely different.

GLENDAY: Just to a difficult story on that theme of recruitment into the military. Australia needs more women to serve, to help boost our numbers. That task is no doubt a lot harder when you have stories like last week where a camera is found in a women's bathroom. Are there any updates you can give us on that investigation? Are there any other similar incidents, as was alluded to, I think, by Jacqui Lambie, that this sort of thing might be more widespread?

MARLES: Well, firstly, that was completely unacceptable and I made that clear. The Chief of the Defence Force made that clear, the Chief of the Navy made that clear, that to have that kind of device in a woman's bathroom is utterly unacceptable. This is going to be thoroughly investigated. We want to get to the bottom of this and there needs to be consequences as a result. Women need to be able to serve in the ADF, focused on their service and not worried about any of that. They need to be doing so in a way where they feel safe in respect of how they engage within the ADF. And you're right, we've got a challenge in terms of increasing the number of women in the ADF, and we need to do that because we want to grow the Australian Defence Force and the Australian Defence Force should look like Australia, which means that we should have many more women in it than we have right now. And that is very much an ambition. But, you know, we've got to get this stuff right to start with. So, there is zero tolerance for this. This is utterly unacceptable. And this will be thoroughly investigated and when we get to the bottom of it, there'll be consequences.

GLENDAY: On a lighter issue, we've had you on the show a lot as you've been dressed in your Geelong Cats tie, getting ready for a big game. NRL is, of course, the sport of choice in PNG. It's getting a side in 2028. Do you have a side?

MARLES: I have the PNG Chiefs. They're my side, really.

GLENDAY: You aspire to be Prime Minister one day. Can you pick a foreign team? Is that allowed?

MARLES: Well, I'm not going there. Look, I was the Assistant Minister or Parliamentary Secretary for the Pacific Island Affairs back in 2010 and back then, the dream of having a team from PNG in the NRL was very much alive, but it was a dream. No one thought it would ever happen. The idea that this team is going to start in 2028. And I know firsthand, having come to this country a lot and, you know, I first came here in 1984, I feel very connected to PNG, that having a team in the NRL will be transformational for this nation. It is going to give people a sense of national unity. But, you know, there's a lot that goes on in PNG. It is definitely a country of faith. But the three biggest days in this country, are the three days of the State of Origin. You can walk down the middle of Port Moresby on those days and you will not see a soul because everyone is watching the TV, watching those State of Origin matches. This country is nuts for rugby league and the idea that they're going to have their own team in the NRL is just so fantastic. So, I'm really looking forward to this morning, but you can absolutely count me down as a PNG Chiefs fanatic, the moment that team runs onto the field in 2028.

GLENDAY: I'm looking forward to interviewing you in a PNG jersey. Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and Chiefs fan.

MARLES: Well, I'm hoping we see them this morning.

GLENDAY: Ok. Looking forward to the vision. Thank you very much for joining us, Richard.

ENDS