Topics: Marles US visit, US-Australia Alliance, AUKUS, Bob Katter.

 

E&OE

 

QUESTION:

 

So, we've seen this stuff between the Pentagon and various Australian media outlets saying that the meeting between Hegseth and Marles was a meeting, wasn't a meeting, and now apparently was a meeting, officially. What's going on here?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

Well, look, Richard Marles is back from his Magical Mystery Tour, but we're all confused about what happened, what the objective was, what meetings occurred and what the outcomes were. I think Richard Marles is confused about it. He needs to get it clear in his mind and explain to us where are we at with the US alliance? Where are we at with AUKUS? What do we need to do to make sure this Alliance is where it needs to be and that AUKUS is assured for the future. This is incredibly important in the most dangerous strategic environment since the Second World War, and so we need the Minister for Defence to get clear about what's going on and what he's doing about it. We also need a meeting between the Prime Minister and the President of the United States. We appear to be no closer to that, and that's a real imperative at this time.

 

QUESTION:

 

Given that the confusion seems to be more on the US side, is this more embarrassing for them than it is for us?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

I think it’s pretty embarrassing for Richard Marles. I mean he himself keeps changing his mind on what's happening, what happened, and where we're going from here. He needs to explain to the Australian people where we are at with AUKUS, where we are at with the US Alliance and how, most importantly, we're going to make sure we have the strength ourselves in our Defence Force and jointly with our allies to ensure we have peace and deterrence in our part of the world for years to come.

 

QUESTION:

 

Broadly, do you think we’ve seen a decline in our relationship with the US?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

Well, I mean, what's very clear is it's confused. I mean, this meeting and this trip happened during a sitting week. Richard Marles disappeared from the Parliament. Away he goes. He tells us he's going to do one thing and then a couple of days later it's something else and no one seems to know what's going on and what the outcomes were. We just need clarity, and we need to know that our Alliance with the United States is on a strong footing. AUKUS is on a strong footing. And together we're on a strong footing to make sure we have the peace we want to see for years to come in our region.

 

QUESTION:

 

And just particularly on trade, the Trade Minister, Don Farrell, has come out today pretty strongly in support of free trade and has really made some pretty pointed remarks around the US and their position on trade. Do you think that these are okay remarks to be saying given that our relationship with the US is on shaky ground? 

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

Well look, trade is important, I am pro free trade and long have been coming from a farming background. I believe in making sure we get access to markets. It's extremely important for an open country like Australia that we get access to those trade opportunities. I certainly hope that this Government is not going down the path of putting carbon border adjustments in place, and I think there are real questions that Labor needs to answer about its commitment to free trade at an important time like now.

 

QUESTION:

 

And just a quick one, what did you think of Sussan Ley's speech last night?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

Look, are we allowed to talk about what happened last night? I thought that was all off the record, but I thought she did extremely well.

 

QUESTION:

 

Can I quickly ask, what do you make of the vision of Bob Katter putting his fist in the face of a journalist?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

 

Look, this is not the way you deal with the media in this country. I mean, the media has an enormously important role to play to make sure that there's accountability and transparency in our democracy and that means we need to respect the important role you play. We don't always agree with you, but that doesn't mean that we should behave in that kind of way.

 

 

ENDS.