PAUL CULLIVER, ABC NEWCASTLE: Now, no points for guessing who is your new Cabinet Minister in the region. Pat Conroy, of course, has been the Minister for Defence Industry and the Minister for International Development and the Pacific. He's added capability delivery to his defence industry portfolio, and he's also joined Cabinet as part of it, and he is your guest this afternoon, of course, the Member for Shortland as well. Pat Conroy. Good afternoon to you.
MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY PAT CONROY: Good afternoon to you.
CULLIVER: Congratulations on your elevation to the Cabinet. What does it mean to you to be part of that executive team?
MINISTER CONROY: Oh it's a tremendous privilege to be around the key decision making table for the Albanese Government, but more importantly, I'm really pleased that it elevates defence industry, defence capability, Pacific and international development which are really important policy priorities for our government, and I'm especially pleased because it gives Hunter a voice at the Cabinet table again. We've had some great advocates around the Cabinet table historically, whether it's Greg Combet or Joel Fitzgibbon or Peter Morris, and that voice has really given Hunter an advantage in arguing for extra resources or policy priorities that are important for our region. And you just have to look at things like the Hunter Expressway or the new HMRI building or Newcastle Airport itself. They've come as a result of fierce advocacy from Hunter ministers around the Cabinet table.
CULLIVER: I think sometimes we perhaps assume knowledge on these things. Could you explain and what does it mean to you to be part of Cabinet as opposed to part of the ministry more generally?
MINISTER CONROY: Yeah. So, Cabinet is the supreme decision making body of the government. So it meets regularly or without disclosing the schedule, but it meets very, very regularly and it considers submissions from government ministers seeking permission to make decisions, implement policy, use funds, Commonwealth funds. It effectively is the legal basis for policymaking and policy implementation. And so it's really, it is the critical body of government and there are 23 ministers around that table and from today I'm one of them which is an immense privilege, not just for myself personally, but I think good for our region and that's what I'm particularly pleased about.
CULLIVER: What was the reasoning that the Prime Minister offered as to why you've been included in Cabinet?
MINISTER CONROY: Well without disclosing confidential discussions, I think it's fair to say that over the last two years I've been able to achieve things in the portfolio that I think have been positive for our country. But there's also a strong desire to elevate these portfolios. If you think about the strategic circumstances that we face, we're facing the biggest arms race since 1945, we're seeing a lot of strategic uncertainty out there. So, the importance of having not just defence industry and 100,000 workers who are in that industry including in the Hunter Valley and the Hunter region, but also capability delivery which is about delivering the equipment the Australian Defence Force needs as soon as possible and on budget, as well as obviously what we're seeing in the Pacific right now with geopolitical competition. So, it's a strong signal about government priorities through my elevation to Cabinet.
CULLIVER: Now obviously your portfolios remain largely the same. Minister for Defence Industry, Minister for International Development and the Pacific with one notable exception which is your defence industry title has added capability delivery to it. What does that mean?
MINISTER CONROY: This is to increase the focus and the resources on making sure the ADF gets the equipment it needs. Defence industry is vital. As I said, 100,000 people work in that industry including thousands in the Hunter, and we're spending record amounts locally and that drives good paying, secure, high skilled jobs. But ultimately, the amount of money- we will be spending $330 billion on acquiring and sustaining equipment for the ADF over the next ten years. We have to get that as soon as possible and with real value for money for taxpayers so that the ADF has the equipment it needs.
So my focus will be laser-like on delivering that capability and making sure that the great RAF units, RAF Williamtown have what they need. The soldiers up at the army base, at Singleton have what they need, and around the country. So it's the first time that we've had a minister with responsibility for capability delivery in Cabinet. We've had defence industry ministers in the past, but not one who is specifically tasked with capability delivery. So it's a big responsibility, but it's one I'm really excited about.
CULLIVER: You are listening to ABC Newcastle. Paul Culliver is my name. You are being joined by Minister Pat Conroy, of course Member for Shortland but also the Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery and the Minister for International Development and the Pacific having been elevated to the cabinet in the reshuffle the Prime Minister announced on Sunday and sworn in this morning.
Minister, over the weekend, it was reported that Barnaby Joyce made some comments. He was at a Lake Illawarra anti renewables rally. He said “and the bullet you have is that little piece of paper and it goes in their magazine called the voting box and it's coming up. Get ready to load that magazine. Goodbye, Chris. Goodbye, Albo.” Of course, referring to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy and the Prime Minister of Australia. What do you make of those comments?
MINISTER CONROY: I'm appalled, Paul, by those comments. That sort of violent rhetoric has no place in Australian politics. Unfortunately we've seen this extreme language not just from Mr Joyce but from Peter Dutton. It's their natural instinct to divide the community, and using this violent rhetoric actually just encourages extremism within our community.
I just think that equating political action with violence is very dangerous and we need to be very careful about how we go. And this is a real test for Peter Dutton. He's had four reshuffles, and he really should have a fifth reshuffle and sack Barnaby Joyce over these offensive and risky comments. Like, he talked about ending three politicians using language around bullets and magazines. That should have no place and an apology isn't sufficient. Barnaby Joyce is a serial offender when using completely inappropriate language, and I think we should just take a step back and reflect on what's happening around the world and say we don't want any of that in this country.
We've seen politicians unfortunately assassinated in other places around the world, and language matters, and I appreciate that Mr Joyce will say that he was using a metaphor, but these violent words at a rally, a mass rally in front of lots of people who are angry about a specific issue just is not what responsible politicians do. And Mr Dutton should sack him immediately and conduct his fifth reshuffle in the last two years.
CULLIVER: Well as you've noted, he has apologised. Why isn't that sufficient?
MINISTER CONROY: Well, because this isn't Mr Joyce's first rodeo. He's been in politics for 20 years now. He's held senior roles in the last government, including Deputy Prime Minister. This is not a naive, one-off mistake from a rookie politician. This guy knew what he was saying. He knew that he was appealing by the use of violent rhetoric, he was appealing to some of the worst elements in the extremes of the right of politics, and it's just unacceptable. Imagine if a Labor Minister or a senior Labor politician said that. The entire commentariat would be out demanding that person's resignation. He gets a bit of a leave pass because he's seen as a bit of a buffoon at times, but he's a senior leader of the National Party and he's a senior Leader of the Opposition, and he should be sacked for continuing to say things like this that just appeal to the most extreme elements in Australian politics.
And when I talk to people on the street, when I hold street stalls or go to the markets at Pelican or Warners Bay, people want governments and politics run from the middle that affect progressive change but are calmed, reasoned, and appeal to the better angels of human nature. They don't want this extreme rhetoric that doesn't help anyone and in fact contributes to a real anger out there that is dangerous quite frankly - and I'm sorry for being frank about this Paul, I’m worked up in a calm, reasonable way - but this is not helpful rhetoric, and for a politician of 20 years standing to say this means it's time for Mr Joyce to go.
CULLIVER: Right Minister, I'll just end on this one. Since you are now part of the Cabinet can you tell us when's the election?
MINISTER CONROY: (laughs) that is not a call for the Cabinet, that's a call for the Prime Minister, and I won't make record by being the shortest Cabinet Minister on record by making that decision for him or declaring that.
CULLIVER: All right Minister, thanks for your time today.
MINISTER CONROY: Thanks Paul, have a great afternoon.