ASHLEIGH GILLON, HOST: Well, Peter Dutton has addressed the Lowy Institute, outlining his foreign policy agenda. The Opposition Leader discussed the wars between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas, and he also said the Coalition will grow Australia's trading relationships and nurture international relationships.
Joining us live with reaction is the Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Minister, thank you for your time. Mr Dutton said earlier that one of his first acts as Prime Minister would be to call the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to affirm Australia's support for Israel. He attacked your handling of this relationship, saying instead of treating Israel like the ally it is, this government, he said, has treated Israel like an adversary. As a friend of Israel, do you support the strikes that's carried out on the Gaza Strip in recent days, which has led to hundreds of people dying?
PENNY WONG, FOREIGN MINISTER: That's a very long question and first, it's good to be with you, Ashleigh. And I think what we saw from this speech from Peter Dutton is, as he said, you know, past behaviour is the best indicator of future behaviour. And I'd agree with him, because what we know about Peter Dutton is he's lost in our region. We know that he made fun of the Pacific. He was part of the government that withdrew from the Pacific, leaving a vacuum for others to fill. We've seen him both in opposition and also in government, beating the drums of war. This is a man lost in our region. In terms of what we are seeing in the Middle East, where we are seeing, unfortunately, the ceasefire that Mr Dutton opposed has broken. We continue to urge all parties to observe the ceasefire for hostages to be returned, we want humanitarian aid to flow. We have been clear in that position alongside the majority of the international community, and it was Mr Dutton who is out of step.
GILLON: Let's turn to Mr Dutton's comments on Ukraine. He again criticised your government's willingness to send Australian peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, saying Australia doesn't have the ability to have a presence in multiple theatres. Why would Australia send troops halfway around the world to Ukraine when the US has said it won't? And Russia has made it very clear any such move would lead to grave consequences, in its words, for Australia.
FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, first, I'd say a few things about what Mr Dutton said. He made a lot of criticism in relation to Ukraine, and I think everyone can see what he's trying to do, which is, he's trying to back up an argument which the facts don't support. The reality is, if you ask President Zelenskyy what sort of friend and supporter he has in Australia and in this government, I think he'd be very clear about that, and he has been very clear about that. What I'd say is that the Prime Minister has articulated very clearly the reason why we want to back Ukraine, why it is something that matters to us. It's because Russia's behaviour is both illegal and immoral and is a breach of the UN Charter. And a permanent member of the Security Council has used its veto to justify a breach of the UN Charter. Now, that matters to middle powers like Australia. Now, what we have said is that if a request is made, we would consider it. Unfortunately, Mr Dutton, he had a chance to back Australia again, but as always, he wants to pick a political fight. Back Australia - he never chooses that path, always wants to pick a political fight.
GILLON: I'm sure you were pleased to hear Mr Dutton say the PBS wouldn't be up for negotiation with the Trump Administration if he does become Prime Minister. But what actually can Australia do to avoid potential tariffs on Australian medicine exports to the US? Our efforts, as we know so far, when it's come to aluminium and steel, have failed.
FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, first on the PBS, you can never trust Mr. Dutton on the PBS. We know that the only reason the PBS was protected when the US Free Trade Agreement was first struck was because of the Labor Party back in 2004. We know what Mr Dutton's record is when it comes to health. And what the Prime Minister has said is this government, this Labor Government, is very clear. We are not up for negotiation on the PBS. We will fight to protect it. Full stop and end of story.
In terms of the position of President Trump and the administration, I think every Australian can see President Trump's second administration is taking a much harder position. A much harder position. In excess of 30 countries got exemptions the last time around, in the first Trump Presidency, on steel and aluminium, not one now. So, it's very clear from that they've taken a much harder position. We will continue to engage, we will continue to negotiate, and we also continue to be very clear that the American pharmaceutical companies may be doing what they did some 20 years ago where they came after the PBS, this government is not for moving.
GILLON: I'm keen for your thoughts on a developing story today. Malaysia has just announced it's come to an agreement with the exploration firm Ocean Infinity. It's going to be resuming the search for the wreckage of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Has Australia received a briefing from either Malaysia or Ocean Infinity on where exactly they're searching? Is there any support that we can be providing via the Australian Transport Safety Bureau?
FOREIGN MINISTER: Oh, look, we have been part of the engagement on the search for MH370 for a very long time. We'll continue to engage as Malaysia requires. Obviously, this is a tragedy, and it was a tragedy that so many families still carry with them. And so we continue to look for justice and resolution for those who lost their loved ones on that flight.
GILLON: Well, considering our prolonged involvement in this, does the government have a view as to where it would be best to begin this search? As you know, there's been a lot of speculation that the wreckage lies in the Seventh Arc in the Indian Ocean.
FOREIGN MINISTER: Look, I'm not going to speculate about the location of this aircraft. Obviously, there's been a lot of years, a lot of experts involved. What we hope is that it can be found and that there can be some closure for those who lost loved ones and for whom the lack of resolution here is a continued source of pain.
GILLON: Foreign Minister Penny Wong, really appreciate you making the time. Thank you.
FOREIGN MINISTER: Great to speak with you, Ashleigh.
