Interview with Ashleigh Gillon, News24

ASHLEIGH GILLON: Joining me live now is the Resources Minister Madeleine King. Minister, thank you for your time. We've seen the Coalition not sold on that deal; they're also reiterating this week that they want to save some $31 billion but dumping your critical minerals subsidies. Is there a suggestion here that that could put Australia's agreement with the Trump Administration on critical minerals, or this EU free trade deal being negotiated at risk? 

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: Yeah. And it's great to be with you again, Ash. If I could just talk to the critical minerals production tax incentive, it's not a subsidy at all. It's a taxation incentive that builds upon the investment companies already make. 

So, it's an incentive based on them contributing something, like putting in to building a processing facility here and making sure we turn more of our natural geology, and what is mined from it, into the products that are adding value into our economy. 

So, I just want to be clear, it's not a hand‑out or a grant, it's an incentive to drive that kind of processing and a future made here in Australia. 

To the EU‑Australia Free Trade Agreement, that's a really vital agreement. This is a market worth some $30 trillion, one of the largest, I think about the third largest market in the world, and for Australia to have a Free Trade Agreement with the 27 nations of the European Union is of enormous importance for many, many sectors.

But for critical minerals, where we want to attract more investment, where we want to diversify the countries that do invest into the mining and processing of critical minerals, the European Union Free Trade Agreement with Australia is really pivotal. 

So, what we see here is a Coalition wanting to basically dump two very important parts of Australia stepping up and taking on the responsibility to lead on critical minerals globally, and it does put at risk our position in the world, with the G7, G7+, but you know, we'll keep, of course, working with all these countries. 

But it's a bit irresponsible, quite frankly, of the Coalition to seek to just give up on creating a critical minerals industry here in Australia. 

GILLON: Well, irresponsible is the word that the Coalition uses when it talks about Government spending, and they're not the only ones demanding that your Government look at deep savings. Plenty of economists also calling for significant cuts to Government spending as we face a likely interest rate rise again next week. 

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: Well, our Government, over the four years since we've taken office has found $180 billion worth of savings, and we're working towards more in the upcoming MYEFO. 

We have also made sure that where we have apportioned funding it's done very responsibly and, you know, we hear a lot of griping, I suppose, from some of the Opposition about how long approvals may take in the resources sector, but the truth is we have to put more people into that approvals process to actually do that work to move the approvals processes along. 

So, you do have to make sure certain things are funded so that we can grow the economy and make sure there are opportunities for ‑ that's just the resources sector. If I think about the enormous amount of work that had to be done to get rid of the backlog of claims for veterans, I mean that needed the Government to lean in to making sure we had the civil servants available to process the claims that quite rightly veterans that have served our country deserve to have looked at by a skilled professional. 

GILLON: Minister, on another matter, the WA Premier, Roger Cook's on his way to Canberra. He wrote to the Prime Minister this week demanding changes to your Government's immigration plans, particularly around cutting backpacker visas. The mining sector's also raised concerns about their ability to get enough workers when your immigration overhaul happens. Are you advocating for changes to that policy as well to try and help that sector that you represent? 

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: Yeah. It's really important to get migration settings right. Because of the lack of investment in things like public housing, in ensuring there's enough for housing for all that live in Australia, we see sometimes that backlash against migration, and that's not good for our social cohesion because we know the true value of migrants that come and stay in Australia, skilled people, professional people, but also, of course, as you say, the working holiday makers. 

But, you know, we do have to have a reasonable, sensible migration policy to make sure that there is that wider support in the community for an enduring migration settings. 

GILLON: Finally, Minister, I wanted to get your reaction to a front page in your home State, The West Australian, I think we've got it here to show our viewers, "Pot, meet kettle", it talks about some comments you made in the wake of the Haines attack, suggesting the media could be to blame for the current race to the bottom that we see in politics. Don't your colleagues deserve more of the blame? It was the Prime Minister's office accused of circulating that dirt sheet on Helen Haines not too long before the attack. 

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: Ash ‑ yeah. I think the fact that you shared an image just then, not the article, not its context, certainly not my speech which went for five minutes and went to a number of other things, just demonstrates my point that a newspaper ‑‑ 

GILLON: I'm asking you for a response for it, so I'm giving you a chance to ‑‑ 

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: No, I'm just about to give it ‑‑ 

GILLON: ‑‑ explain your comments. 

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: ‑‑ I am ‑ I am, but what I'm saying is my point that I made in my speech was, images matter, and where media does ‑ I mean we do have a responsibility, and I think I said that in my speech, but again that's not reflected, of course, in an image of me in a pot to be boiled. 

I mean, this is what, you know, tabloids do, and you know, then the media just shares it and shares it and shares it as an image, so it's sort of feeding into the click bait that we see.

And you're doing it again. So, you know, fabulous. It sort of makes my point. 

I don't really know what to say about the kind of violence that it implies, like the other award‑winning satirical cartoonist implied as well. 

I agree politicians need to do better, and I think I said that in my speech, and if I haven't, I'll say it now, politicians need to do better. But I also think everyone with a level of influence has to think about what they publish. 

And I'm not saying that should mean we don't get criticised or held to account, I wouldn't dream of asserting that. But we do have a responsibility to be civil, and that applies to the media as much as it applies to me and my colleagues. 

GILLON: Do you think that there has been civil debate in the Parliament this week? We've seen people on all sides being kicked out, swearing in Question Time, that level of debate there hasn't taken on any new political tone in terms of civility this week. 

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: I think there has been an adjustment and awareness. Maybe it's not everyone has accepted that there does need to be change, and that's a matter for each elected representative to think about what they say or yell out in Parliament, and you know, I can't really speak for those that have yelled out, and swearing, and I agree with the Speaker of the House when he says that's entirely unacceptable. 

GILLON: Madeleine King, appreciate you making the time. Thank you. 

MINISTER MADELEINE KING: Yeah, thanks, Ash. Good to talk to you again.