00:00I want to start with the latest news that we got this morning. Just hours ago, the Israel
00:04Embassy has blasted the Labour government's draft program on Israel and Palestine, saying it's
00:10one-sided. We know Netanyahu has always been opposed to the two-state solution. I said that
00:15that's led to a rise in anti-Semitic feelings in Australia. What is your response to the latest
00:20embassy statement? Well, I would much simply say this. The government of Australia's position,
00:26and I think the Australian community's position, is we want to see a two-state solution. We want to
00:31see both Israelis and Palestinians being able to live in peace and security behind borders which
00:38are recognised and negotiated. We want to see peace in the Middle East. Obviously, the platform,
00:45which is a decision for the National Conference of the party, that's a matter for the party to
00:51determine, but the government's position is clear. And we are meeting now under the shadows
00:57of war. Marco Rubio will be here. I wonder, will you be meeting with him bilaterally, and
01:04what message do you have for him, especially about the Middle East war, which has brought,
01:09of course, a lot of inflation to Australia? Well, first I'd make the point that we've said
01:14for some time, like so many countries, we want to see de-escalation. You're right, the conflict
01:19to the Middle East has been impacting on all of our peoples. And we know that when we look
01:26at the Strait of Hormuz and what comes through that, that 80% of that fuel is destined for
01:31the markets of Asia. And so the countries of our region have all felt it. So we all want
01:35to see a resolution. That does take both sides. It takes the Iranian regime negotiating in good
01:44faith, and also stopping its proxies, seeking to escalate the situation.
01:51When it comes to Australia's relations with the US, it doesn't seem like the US is treating its
01:57allies better than the rest of the world. You haven't secured tariff exemptions, AUKUS is seeing
02:01delays. What specific levers does Australia has to secure your strategic interests with the US?
02:08I want to start with the end of that question, because securing our strategic interests is the
02:13right question. But it's a question that goes to a broader question than simply the United States,
02:18which comes to why I'm here. I mean, as you said in your introduction, ASEAN is central. ASEAN
02:23is geographically central to the region. When we say we support ASEAN centrality, it's not just an
02:29abstract concept. If you're in Australia, you look up. It is ASEAN at the centre of our region.
02:34And stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific requires a strong ASEAN at its core. And times are tough.
02:41We see greater geopolitical contest. We see behaviour, which is destabilising. We see a lot of challenges
02:51for peace and security. So what Australia seeks to do is to first work in our region. Secondly,
02:58to engage in our relationships, of which obviously the US is our principal strategic partner. But in
03:06addition, we engage with many other countries. Thirdly, we support international law and rules.
03:13And finally, also our economic and national resilience. So we take an approach which really
03:18says we recognise these are difficult times. We recognise that we have to work to assure peace
03:25and stability and our sovereignty. Our relationship with the United States is a part of that, a very
03:32important part. But so too is our relationship with our region, which is why we are here.
03:38There has certainly been a lot of disruption in the recent years. And that has shifted public
03:44perception. If you look at the Lowey poll in Australia, about a third now believes they can't
03:49trust Washington to be a responsible player. And for the first time, a majority believes that your
03:55relationship with China is more important than your relationship with the US. Is that reshaping
04:01your foreign policy or causing you to reprioritise your relations?
04:05We make judgements about what we think is in Australia's national interests. And we have a
04:10principal strategic relationship. It remains with the United States, but it's not the only relationship
04:15we have. And we recognise we have to work harder both in our region. I've come today from
04:21an engagement with the Philippines Coast Guard where we worked on the next part of our partnership
04:27and we made announcements about that. We have a strong relationship with Japan, with the
04:34Republic of Korea, and we signed a treaty on common security with Indonesia. So we are really
04:41working hard across a range of areas to secure stability and peace, which is what we all want.
04:48China has always been important to Australia. It's our largest economic partner, our largest
04:53trading partner. And the way we have approached the relationship is to say to China, we want
05:00to cooperate where we are, where we can. We will disagree where we must. There will be areas
05:04where we don't have the same view. And we have to have the capacity to be clear about that
05:10with each other and do so respectfully. And we must continue to engage because China is
05:16an important player in the region and in the world.
05:19So when it comes to your relationship with China, I think one of the biggest sticking
05:22points is trade and the mining relationship because China created this agency to centralise
05:27their imports. It's putting downward pressure on pricing for companies like Rio Tinto, Fortescue.
05:33How concerned is the Australian government about the impact on the economy? And is Canberra going
05:38to do anything about this?
05:40These are, first and foremost, commercial negotiations. And we want open, predictable trade
05:48and reasonable arrangements between our two countries.
05:55Okay. But you may say that it's a corporate negotiation. But from China's point of view, they
06:01have the state very much involved in those negotiations. So is the Australian state stepping in?
06:06Well, yes, we are different political systems. Ultimately, these are arrangements that will
06:13have to be negotiated between countries. You would anticipate. Obviously, we have an interest.
06:18But we hope there will be a mutually beneficial outcome achieved for all parties.
06:26So, of course, we're here for the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting where the South China Sea is
06:31always top of the agenda. And the Philippines just accused China of injuring one of their sailors.
06:37I know Australia has been participating in freedom of navigation patrols.
06:41Do you foresee any changes in the posture or frequency of these patrols? Or what else is Australia prepared
06:47to do?
06:48At a matter of principle, what I would say to you is that ensuring that the law of the sea
06:56is observed
06:57matters to us all. It's not a question of whose side you are on. It's not a question of, you
07:04know,
07:04which great power you look to. The rules under UNCLOS, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,
07:13have been central to stability, peace, and our prosperity in our region. So, actually,
07:23we all have an interest, regardless of what view one takes on the geopolitical competition,
07:28we all have an interest in ensuring great powers and middle powers, as well as smaller powers,
07:35observe the law of the sea. And that will continue to be Australia's position.
07:40And we know that China has recently been testing long-range missiles in the Pacific.
07:47How confident is Australia that you could prevent China from gaining access to any sort of
07:53naval base or air base in the Pacific? And is US or New Zealand helping with this?
07:59Well, there's a lot of questions in that. First, in relation to the test,
08:03Pacific leaders have made clear consistently, and more recently, that they want the
08:09Pacific to be an ocean of peace. And we have raised our concerns about the missile test,
08:16which was done without the sort of notice, predictability, and therefore assurance of intent
08:25that countries of the region expect. This goes to whether or not actions are destabilising,
08:30or actions contribute to stability. So we have made our view on that clear.
08:35In terms of security for the region, again, the Pacific Islands Forum, at leader level,
08:44have consistently in what's called the Boyd Declaration, the Bikitawa Declaration, and more
08:49recently, the Ocean of Peace Declaration, have consistently put the view that they see the
08:56importance of security for the Pacific being provided for within the Pacific. So within the Pacific
09:02Island Forum family, this is regionalism at a time where there is geopolitical contest.
09:08And regionalism is one of the ways you assure stability at a time of such competition.
09:14You have said that these missile tests, of course, are destabilising.
09:18But from China's point of view, they view AUKUS, as well as US military presence,
09:25even the Quad, which they've called an Asian version of NATO, they view all of these as destabilising.
09:30This is not an equivalent. So I'll take you through those. Firstly, in terms of AUKUS,
09:34we are seeking to replace an existing submarine capability, an existing capability which is
09:41being retired. Compare that to the many, many nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarines
09:47China is constructing. So I think, you know, let's have a sensible conversation about what the relative
09:56capability is and which is actually potentially destabilising.
10:00Well, no, no, just hang on, hang on, let me finish.
10:01And in relation to AUKUS, what we have said is we will never seek nuclear capability.
10:08And the purpose of this capability, which is to replace an existing capability,
10:12is we want to always work to assure peace. And this is about making sure there is both
10:19deterrence and reassurance. And Australia has always come to this position, as a middle power,
10:23not as a great power, saying we want the sort of peace and stability in the region that we have
10:28seen since 1945. In terms of the Quad, every Quad member is a comprehensive strategic partner
10:36of ASEAN. What the Quad does is work together, including to provide benefits to both ASEAN partners
10:47and more broadly to Indo-Pacific partners, for example, on cable connectivity. I don't see that as destabilising.
10:56China often says it's a double standard, but different countries have different views.
11:00I want to ask that one country's deterrence is another country's threat.
11:08Well, all I can say is we've seen the largest military build-up since World War II in our region.
11:18And you're right, countries may say we have a right to do that. What other countries would want in the
11:24face of the fastest military build-up we have seen is assurances about intent, assurances around
11:31transparency. I think that's what the region wants.
Comments