Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service, Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General
CHENG LEI, HOST: Joining me now is Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Patrick Gorman, who has attended a service in Perth. Hi there, Patrick, thanks for joining us. So do you think we would see the likes of Private Richard Norden, in this day and age, that sort of courage and selflessness?
PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: I think we see courage and selflessness from members of our defence force every day. Whether it be on active deployment, whether they are out assisting in times of national crisis; during natural disasters, bushfires, floods, we do see those acts of bravery. Richard Norton VC's particular service is of particular note. It is the definition of bravery. And he joins with 101 other Australians who've been awarded the Victoria Cross. I'm actually joining you from Thomas Axford Park here in Mount Hawthorn, he was also awarded a Victoria Cross for his service during World War One. I think what every Australian would see today is the absolute best of Australia, being there for their colleagues, their mates, under incredible heavy fire. And I think every Australian, when they heard about this decision, this award of a Victoria Cross from the Prime Minister today, they thought it was the right decision, a welcome one.
LEI: Do you think in our society today, where there's weaker trust in institutions, that we should make more of an effort to cherish peace and promote the sort of sacrifice that we've seen in the past?
GORMAN: I think that's exactly what we do on days like Remembrance Day. It started in 1919 with the first Remembrance Day Services held at Buckingham Palace, where people were celebrating the joy that comes with peace, at the same time as recognising the ultimate sacrifices that are made. In World War One for Australia some 60,000 Australians gave their lives. And what we all owe to every one of them, and everyone who wears the Australian uniform today, is to say that we will remember them. To say that we will continue to learn the lessons of war, the huge privileges of peace that we enjoy here in Australia. And we had students from Aranmore Catholic College, from Mount Hawthorn Primary School here as well, also participating in the service, making sure that we pass on those lessons to the next generation. And I think that's something which, again, every Australian can welcome on these most solemn of days.
LEI: What do the Gen Z's and the Gen Alpha's think of the possibility of more conflict? Because we've all known peace time as long as we've lived.
GORMAN: I think there are different challenges for every generation. We know that during most of World War One and World War Two, that people experienced those wars hearing about them on the radio. Vietnam War we experienced people seeing it on the television, through news broadcasts. Those younger generations now see some of the horrors of war on their devices. What I think we all have to learn is that these horrors of war are real. They're not just on screens. They actually have been experienced by people in our communities, including the veterans who I joined today at Axford Park. What I'd say to every young Australian is that there is incredible honour in a career in the Australian Defence Force. There are incredible opportunities in that career, and you are genuinely standing up for the rights of your fellow Australians to live in peace and security here in our part of the world. And I'd encourage people who are considering what career they might have to look at the great opportunities that are there. And I want to pay tribute to my fellow Western Australian, the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans Affairs, Matt Keogh, who's always out there talking about the incredible opportunities that come, not just for individuals with a Defence Force career, but the opportunity to serve. And it is true service. And again, I think that's what we reflect on on a day like today.
LEI: And finally, just to change tack, what do you think of the Greens proposal, the $74 billion proposal to wipe student debt and make unis free and so on. Are they just going to tax the rich to fund it?
GORMAN: This is the Greens, in my view, at their absolute worst. They are doing this carefully planned media announcement in the seat of an incredibly hard working, well performing local member in Peter Khalil. I think this is more about the Greens' political aspirations than their aspirations for young people. I know I remember 20 years ago, the Greens were promising that they were going to make University free. 20 years on, they haven't done it. And that's the real problem with the Greens, is they always say, 'oh, we're just one seat away. We're just going to get one little bit more'. They never actually deliver on the things that they promise. They never deliver costed policies before an election. They always say 'oh, we'll sort it out if we ever get the chance'. I think people will see through this for what it is. This is about the Greens' politics, and if you're looking around for a team that's got an actual plan to make education more affordable and more accessible, the only place you'll see that is Labor. The Greens have been promising things for 10, 20 years and delivered nothing. Peter Dutton has not one single plan when it comes to education. He's been Opposition Leader for more than two and a half years. Hasn't announced a single plan for universities, not a single plan for TAFE, not a single plan for our schools. Labor has plans across the board. Fee-free TAFE, permanent, locked in. We've got the plans when it comes to slashing people's student debts by 20%. And not like the Greens who will just do it on the never never. We're going to do it next year. 1 July next year 2025, we'll deliver on that slashing of student debt, and then the huge investments we made here in WA and across the country when it comes to putting more into our public primary schools and high schools. And not to forget the early childhood educators as well who get a pay rise under this Government, 1 December this year. Again, all things that Labor announces and delivers. The Greens announce it all, deliver nothing.
LEI: Patrick Gorman, I'm afraid that's all we have time for. Thanks so much. Patrick.
