Tuesday 21 October 2025

EO&E

Peter Stefanovic
Tim, your thoughts on that testy exchange?

Tim Wilson
Well thanks, Peter. I mean I think you know, we all see the exchange for what it is. I understand afterwards, President Trump and Kevin Rudd, Ambassador Rudd had a conversation. I think this is really now a question for Ambassador Rudd to cite his own tenure. Because he should be putting the national interest first. He's a former Prime Minister. He knows how important it is to have a working, constructive relationship with the administration. So he's got to make a serious decision and put the national interest first.

Peter Stefanovic
What's your free advice regarding his tenure?

Tim Wilson
Well, I don't know the details of the conversation that was had afterwards. Certainly, if I had the President of the United States sitting opposite me and telling me that they didn't really like me very much and they never would, I might seriously question my tenure. But as I said, there was a conversation I understand afterwards. So, it's really up to Kevin Rudd to put the national interest first and for him to make that decision not just in the interests of himself, but for the interests of the Government and for the interests of the Commonwealth of Australia. You know, they've signed a critical minerals deal. It's an important deal and I congratulate them for that. But, these things matter. And the strategic relationship we have, and I expect him to rise to the occasion.

Peter Stefanovic
Does Kevin Rudd get any marks for any work that he might have done behind the scenes, though in setting up that minerals deal, and also about the positive comments that Trump made about AUKUS today. Does Rudd deserve any credit for that?

Tim Wilson
I'm not taking that away from it, as I said, these arrangements are important. They've obviously been worked through. I saw Ambassador Rudd last year in Washington, and he was having conversations with, before the administration came into place with the previous administration about these issues. They're important. Australia needs a good and constructive working relationship with the United States. That's the reason that I'm expecting him to put the national interest first, in his own tenure and in the decisions he makes.

Peter Stefanovic
I mean, do we have a good and constructive relationship with the US though? If we're getting these deals?

Tim Wilson
Well, it's clear that you know, we are. The United States needs us and we need them. And it's a partnership. It has been tested in recent months, but it's not just over the relationship with the Ambassador. We've seen it in the context of us really going off kilter, on foreign policy in the context of recognition of a Palestinian state. You know, Andrew Clennell listed them all in his questions before. What we need is a constructive relationship, a respectful one. We need to be standing up for our national interest, but it also needs to be one where we're working with an administration to achieve the best interests of our country. And sometimes that's not always going to be in perfect alignment, but it needs to mean we have open doors and trusted doors and trusted relationships.

Peter Stefanovic
So well, what about the Prime Minister? What do you give his report card today? What grade do you give him for the deal that he got done today and also, again the positive remarks about AUKUS?

Tim Wilson
Well, I give the Prime Minister about a C+ at the moment in foreign policy, because I don't look at solely in isolation of this issue. I look at it in terms of the fact that he, basically changed bipartisan policy around our allies in the Middle East on the precipice of peace breaking out. He made the very wrong decision in incentivising civilians being used as weapons and targets in the Middle East. He's made some correct decisions, but I think he's on balance getting things wrong because he's trying to appease domestic political constituencies at the expense of the national interest. I hope those policy frames change, and that he actually makes decisions that are going to advance Australia's national interests. We need to make tough decisions around defense spending. We need to make tough decisions around making sure we're assertive in international affairs, and we need to be clear eyed in our relationship with our allies, including the United States, including Israel, and of course with many other countries.

Peter Stefanovic
Well, let's go to problems within your own house at the moment, that being the Coalition. Matt Canavan, he said this morning that he wants to have it out next week to get together to argue net zero and come up with a solid, fair policy that satisfies both sides. Do you think that's needed? Would you support something like that given the events of the past few days?

Tim Wilson
Well, Matt and I have had many conversations about this issue and we will continue to do so. After next week, I'm sure as well. But, you know I want us to go through a proper process where we come up with a policy that we all agree with and we can take to the Australian people that focuses on getting prices down, net zero price increases, because this is the problem. Labor legislated net zero targets. And it was sold on a promise that emissions would come down, prices would come down, and we would not have unreliability problems in the electricity grid. Instead, emissions have gone up, prices have gone up, and so have unreliability problems. We need a policy that is focused on net zero price increases, net zero outages and of course, getting emissions down because we've improved the social license to do so. And that's going to be my objective because whether the conversation is held next week or the week after or in middle of next year, the focus has to be on how we are going to build Australia's future, because that's the basis of industrial policy to really industrialise Australia and create hope and opportunity for the next generation of Australians.

Peter Stefanovic
How damaging has Barnaby's potential defection to One Nation? Potentially even Llew O'Brien's as well over net zero?

Tim Wilson
Well, they're doing what they're doing. That's up for the National Party. I mean, Barnaby's always been capable of drawing attention to himself. Let's be frank. This isn't a new thing. But that's a decision for the National Party. In the end, it comes down to a simple choice. Are we, as a Coalition, going to go forward seeking to put forward a proposition to the Australian community, which is about how we're going to govern the future of the country? How we're going to project a vision where Australians can see their lives lived through our values? That's what I'm focused on.

Peter Stefanovic
I'll just do final one here on just because you're in Melbourne this morning, Tim. Jacinta Allan maintains the city's safe. That's despite a recent uptick in violence that we saw again on the weekend. So is she right?

Tim Wilson
Well, she's starting to mimic the behavior of the Iraqi Information Minister back in the early 2000s who kept saying, you know, there's no tanks rolling into Baghdad. Everything's safe here. What are you all talking about? It's delusional stuff. People are getting stabbed in the streets. It's not my opinion. It's simply what's being recorded on CCTV. We've seen the violent protests, including the Police Chief coming out with boxes of rocks, saying these are being thrown at police officers by left wing protesters. This has got to stop. We actually need zero tolerance for the sorts of crime that's going on. The police are calling out, the public are calling out for action. But Jacinta Allan is engaging in denial. And it's harming Victoria and Melbourne. Seriously, I know people on the weekend I spoke to who said they've got friends now from New Zealand who are not coming to Melbourne anymore because of the perception of the crime wave. The world is looking at Melbourne and they're saying Jacinta Allan is failing them because they no longer feel safe. Victorians need hope and it's only going to change if we have a change of government.

Peter Stefanovic
All right, Tim Wilson, thank you for your time, as always.

ENDS