Speaker 1: From Schwartz Media. I'm Daniel James. This is seven am.
Speaker 1: Peter Dutton is making a bold move aligning himself with
Speaker 1: Donald Trump. His colleagues are drawing in the comparison, pitching
Speaker 1: him a strong and decisive But it's a political strategy
Speaker 1: not without its risks. Drum's return to the White House
Speaker 1: is already causing global instability, from a new trade war
Speaker 1: with China to extraordinary announcements on Gaza. With the election looming,
Speaker 1: Dutton is hoping a strong man approach will resonate with
Speaker 1: the electorate during a time when cost of living is
Speaker 1: the priority. Today columnists for the Saturday paper Paul bon
Speaker 1: Jorno on how the chaos in the US encroached in
Speaker 1: the first sitting week of the year and how both
Speaker 1: leaders are coping. It's Friday, February seven. Paul, we just
Speaker 1: said the first sitting week of Parliament for the year
Speaker 1: and possibly one of the last before the election. What's
Speaker 1: the mood like in Canberra?
Speaker 2: Well, I have to tell you I was in Parliament
Speaker 2: House this week and you really can feel the tension. Look,
Speaker 2: everybody knows in truth, there only might a matter of weeks,
Speaker 2: a couple of months, maybe from having to face the
Speaker 2: people and their jobs and their next are on the line.
Speaker 2: So they want to make every post a winner. They
Speaker 2: want to score points against their opponents, and we get
Speaker 2: a whiff of that in question time certainly in both
Speaker 2: houses of the Parliament. But I can tell you one
Speaker 2: thing's for sure. Donald Trump is dominating our politics pretty
Speaker 2: much in the same way as he's dominating politics around
Speaker 2: the globe. And the installed leader in the Senate of
Speaker 2: the Coalition, Michaulia Cash Well, she's now claiming that Dunton
Speaker 2: is like Trump.
Speaker 3: Certainly under pay to duttin, we will ensure that the
Speaker 3: years ahead in terms of our lives with the US
Speaker 3: are some of the most defining for us and that
Speaker 3: benefit both Australia and the US.
Speaker 2: And that quote the American people, well, they expect action
Speaker 2: and that's what they're getting and they'll get the exact
Speaker 2: same attitude under repeater Dutton government.
Speaker 3: Right.
Speaker 1: And we've recently seen Dutton himself try to emulate Trump
Speaker 1: when he announced an e Long Must style role for
Speaker 1: the Center Price as Shadow Minister for Government Efficiency. Well,
Speaker 1: can you tell me about the Coalition's plans there and
Speaker 1: whether acting like Trump is a good move politically, there's.
Speaker 2: No doubt in appointing just Center Price to this job.
Speaker 2: Is very confident that he's star. No campaigner Well can
Speaker 2: at the very least discomfort the government, and we've got
Speaker 2: more evidence during the week that Price is happy to
Speaker 2: emulate Trump. To center, Price said that the coalition has
Speaker 2: ideologically driven program spending. That's the way she put it
Speaker 2: in its sites, saying she'd like to cut welcome to
Speaker 2: country programs and diversity and inclusion positions. That's straight out
Speaker 2: of the Trump playbook. But it remains to be seen
Speaker 2: whether this is popular with voters. One labor inside has
Speaker 2: said to me that well Cash is doing our job
Speaker 2: for us, and by that he meant Trump in opinion polls,
Speaker 2: especially in the last days of the US presidential election,
Speaker 2: was massively unpopular in Australia, and not much that he's
Speaker 2: done since he's actually got into the White House would
Speaker 2: have changed that opinion.
Speaker 1: And Tramp's popularity. He may take more of a hit
Speaker 1: depending on how we fare as a result of his
Speaker 1: trade wars. It's not just how Trump decides to deal
Speaker 1: with Australia, but crucially what happens with China. Can you
Speaker 1: tell me how the government is reacting to the news
Speaker 1: that China and the US are slapping each other with tariffs. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Well, the President imposed a ten percent tariff on China
Speaker 2: this week and Beijing immediately retaliated with tariff's of fifteen
Speaker 2: percent on US cole and LNG and ten percent for
Speaker 2: crude oil, farm equipment and some vehicles. Australia readily acknowledges
Speaker 2: through its Trade Minister Don Farrell, that this could have
Speaker 2: an impact here. It could set the ball rolling for
Speaker 2: a world trade war and as a middle order trading nation,
Speaker 2: that would do US a lot of damage. But on
Speaker 2: ABC Radio, Don Farrell, the Trade Minister, was urging calm,
Speaker 2: although he was admitting that he was quite apprehensive about
Speaker 2: the possible impacts.
Speaker 4: We want to have a cool, calm and collected approach
Speaker 4: to this issue. We believe that we have a very
Speaker 4: strong argument to defend free and fair trade.
Speaker 2: But Farrell says he's going to use the same arguments
Speaker 2: with the Trump's new trade secretary that he used with
Speaker 2: China to get them to end trade embargoes that you
Speaker 2: might remember were imposed to punish the Morrison government for
Speaker 2: or it's perceived belligerence against China. Peter Dutton, of course,
Speaker 2: played a key role in stirring anti China sentiment in
Speaker 2: that episode, which costs the Liberals dearly among Chinese Australian
Speaker 2: voters at the last election. The analysis is that it
Speaker 2: did cost the Liberals at least three seats that went
Speaker 2: to labor. So the states are pretty high given that
Speaker 2: this election is certainly not shaking as a landslide election
Speaker 2: either way, but a very tight one that could well
Speaker 2: end in a minority government.
Speaker 1: So Pharrell is saying he'll make the case that free
Speaker 1: and fair trade is the way forward with the US,
Speaker 1: just like he has with China.
Speaker 2: Will that work, Well, that's a very good question. I mean,
Speaker 2: he has a strong case to make here. We have
Speaker 2: a huge trade deficit with the United States. We import
Speaker 2: almost sixty five billion dollars worth of American goods annually
Speaker 2: while we only export thirty three billion two them. And
Speaker 2: I think I could tell you have comments that Arthur
Speaker 2: cynadinas he was our former ambassador to the United States,
Speaker 2: he already says that the world trading system, even before
Speaker 2: Trump came back onto the scene, was in trouble. But
Speaker 2: it's clear that if you're big enough you can do
Speaker 2: whatever you like and get away with it. Cenadinas, who
Speaker 2: you might remember was a former Liberal cabinet minister. Well,
Speaker 2: he said what Trump is interested in is not so
Speaker 2: much what he can do for you, but what you
Speaker 2: can do for him, and that really transcends other ideological issues.
Speaker 1: Coming up after the break, the fight over hate speech.
Speaker 3: Pull.
Speaker 1: This week, President Trump shocked pretty much everyone on the
Speaker 1: planet when he claimed that the US is going to
Speaker 1: take over Gaza, kick out two million Palace Dinians, you
Speaker 1: call it home and redevelop it. What was the Prime
Speaker 1: minister's response to.
Speaker 2: This, When you'd have to say that he certainly didn't
Speaker 2: want to respond. He called a news conference in his
Speaker 2: courtyard at Parliament House with the Health Minister to announce
Speaker 2: a major health policy to take into the election that
Speaker 2: actually is government policy and will be activated now at
Speaker 2: one point seven billion dollar boost to public hospital and
Speaker 2: health services. But the gathered media still I think reeling
Speaker 2: from the Trump news conference in the White House just
Speaker 2: an hour or so before, so I.
Speaker 1: To the Middle East.
Speaker 5: I mean, this is a huge break the story.
Speaker 1: We would be very keen to hear your reaction.
Speaker 2: So alban Is he was bombarded with questions looking to
Speaker 2: see if Australia would well repudiate this new policy coming
Speaker 2: out of Washington.
Speaker 4: What I would say is an Australia's position is the
Speaker 4: same as it was this morning, as it was last year.
Speaker 2: Albanezy said that as Australian Prime Minister he wasn't going
Speaker 2: to give daily commentary on statements by the US President.
Speaker 1: And always came right at the time as the Australian
Speaker 1: Parliament started debating you hate speech legislation, well, can you
Speaker 1: tell me where these laws are up to?
Speaker 2: Well, on Thursday, after a lot of negotiating, mainly between
Speaker 2: the Government and the opposition, the amended laws passed the Parliament.
Speaker 2: So what we now have, and this is quite an
Speaker 2: eye catching backflip by Labor, We now have laws that
Speaker 2: enable minimum jail sentences for threatening force of violence against
Speaker 2: people on the basis of their race, religion, nationality, national
Speaker 2: or ethnic origin, political union, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,
Speaker 2: and intersect status. Now, if you break these laws, there
Speaker 2: is a mandatory sentence to be imposed between one and
Speaker 2: six years. And this of course is in spite of
Speaker 2: Labour's own policy platform. But the Home Affairs Minister Tony
Speaker 2: Burke and the Prime Minister say it's a carve out
Speaker 2: from labor policy. It doesn't set a precedent. But at
Speaker 2: the same time as the Parliament, in what they call
Speaker 2: the Federation Chamber, was debating these laws, a leg Respender,
Speaker 2: the independent member for the Sydney seat of Wentworth, which
Speaker 2: has a very high Jewish population, or she moved a
Speaker 2: motion in the House calling for the Parliament to deplore
Speaker 2: the appalling and unacceptable rise in anti Semitism across Australia.
Speaker 1: Now I give the call to their real member for Wentworth,
Speaker 1: thank you.
Speaker 6: I seek leave House to move the following motion that
Speaker 6: this House won deplaus the appalling and unacceptable rise in
Speaker 6: anti Semitism across Australia, including violent attacks on synagogue, schools,
Speaker 6: homes and childcare centers.
Speaker 2: It's quite unprecedented for the government to give an independent
Speaker 2: member the floor of the House in this way, and
Speaker 2: in fact they moved standing orders so that Spender's motion
Speaker 2: could be a priority business and it also went up
Speaker 2: into the Senate. But the Spender steered well clear of
Speaker 2: partisan politics, and in fact there was a starkly different
Speaker 2: approach to Allegoris Spender from the opposition in the debate,
Speaker 2: Julian Lisa and Peter Dutton weren't afraid to politicize it.
Speaker 2: They still accuse Anthony Alberanisi of being responsible for anti
Speaker 2: Semitism in Australia.
Speaker 7: Should we act surprise that this is escalated now it's
Speaker 7: an attempt to terrorist attack. Now we shouldn't and the
Speaker 7: Prime Minister needs to show national leadership here.
Speaker 2: This willingness to go for the government's political juggler on
Speaker 2: the whole issue of anti Semitism is in line with
Speaker 2: Dutton last week saying that Penny Wong, our Foreign Minister,
Speaker 2: and even Mark Dreyfus, our Attorney General who's Jewish, weren't
Speaker 2: fit or proper to represent Australia at the Auschwitz commemoration
Speaker 2: in Poland.
Speaker 7: Petty Wong has real issues in relation to this issue.
Speaker 7: The relationship with Israel has been trashed. Pedtywog can't go
Speaker 7: to Israel and Mark Dreyfus, I think was they're under sufferance.
Speaker 1: Well, can you tell me a little bit about how
Speaker 1: Peter Dutton has used the outbreak of anti Semitism as
Speaker 1: a political worpon against the Alberenezi government.
Speaker 2: Is I think we have to stand here that while
Speaker 2: Dutton accuses Labor of pandering to the Greens, the Muslim
Speaker 2: and Arab community in some key electorates in Sydney and Melbourne,
Speaker 2: especially inner city ones, he himself, without doubt has his
Speaker 2: eye on three electorates held by the Teal Independence that
Speaker 2: have significant Jewish voting populations. I thought, though it was
Speaker 2: edifying to see the Independent Member for Goldstine, Zoe Daniel.
Speaker 2: Her electorate is one of those electorates with a high
Speaker 2: Jewish population. She told the Parliament that no Jewish person
Speaker 2: in Australia should be blamed for the actions of a
Speaker 2: government in Israel. But she spoke I thought quite eloquently
Speaker 2: of the twin tragedies of this conflict.
Speaker 5: The suffering in Gaza and to some degree the West Bank,
Speaker 5: and the fear among Jewish communities coexist. Their peace and
Speaker 5: their safety is intertwined.
Speaker 2: Hatred must not be allowed to fester, as she said,
Speaker 2: adding life and death must never be weaponized for political gain.
Speaker 2: Hate in all its forms, Zoey Daniel told the Parliament,
Speaker 2: including anti Semitism, must never be allowed to shape our discourse.
Speaker 2: I'm afraid that horse is botted, but I think it's
Speaker 2: a timely prick of our consciences.
Speaker 1: It's certainly a lovely sentiment. But like you said, the
Speaker 1: horse has bolted. Paul is going to be quite a year.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Daniel Buye.
Speaker 1: Also in the news today, the Prime Minister has announced
Speaker 1: an eight million dollar relief fund for flood stricken communities
Speaker 1: in North Queensland. One million dollars will be made available
Speaker 1: to local governments that have experienced almost two meters of
Speaker 1: rain over the past week, and as arts of recovery.
Speaker 1: Payments of up to one thousand dollars will also be
Speaker 1: made available for those affected. And Foreign Minister Penny Wong
Speaker 1: has launched an international Gender Equality Strategy to advance the
Speaker 1: human rights of women and girls. The government says the
Speaker 1: strategy focuses on five priorities, including ending gender based violence,
Speaker 1: protecting reproductive health, gender responsive peace and security, and gender
Speaker 1: equitable climate action. Seven Am is a daily show from
Speaker 1: Schwartz Media and The Saturday Paper. It's made by Atticas Basto,
Speaker 1: Shane Anderson, Chris Dangate, Eric Jensen, Ruby Jones, Sarah McPhee,
Speaker 1: Travis Evans, Zotnfecho and Me Daniel James. Our theme music
Speaker 1: is by Ned Beckley and Josh Hogan of Envelope Bordeo.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the show, See you next week.