Patricia Karvelas, host: The federal government is downgrading its travel warnings for several countries in the Middle East after the new cease fire agreement between the US and Iran. The Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is Matt Thistlethwaite and he joins us now. Welcome to the program.
Matt Thistlethwaite, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade: G'day, Patricia.
Karvelas: We'll just start on this. The Government has lowered its travel advice for Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates from do not travel to reconsider your travel, your need to travel. Why do this now, given this deal hasn't even been signed off yet?
Assistant Minister: Well, the travel warnings are put in place to ensure the safety of Australians when they travel overseas and we're making daily assessments. Given that there's a ceasefire that's been agreed to. I appreciate that it hasn't formally been signed yet, but there's commitments there from all the parties. Given that that has been agreed to, we've seen fit to downgrade the travel advisory from do not travel to reconsider the need to travel. Now, this doesn't mean that there's no danger associated with travel to those countries. It really means that unless the travel is essential, you should continue to avoid those countries and do not, sorry, reconsider the need to travel means also reconsider the need to transit as well. So, you probably shouldn't be transiting through those countries at this stage either.
Karvelas: Now, I want to go to another topic before we get into, of course, Pauline Hanson's speech today, which had a lot of content in it. The Israeli ambassador to Australia spoke on Radio National this morning. He refused to say whether Israel will cooperate with any investigation into allegations Australian activists on the flotilla to Gaza were sexually assaulted. Did you hear that interview? And are you concerned by that lack of confirmation?
Assistant Minister: Look, I didn't hear the interview, but we are concerned by that. We believe that there should be a full investigation, that these allegations are very, very serious and they should be fully investigated. Foreign Minister Penny Wong and members of the Australian Federal Police met with the Australians who were detained and have made these serious allegations. And as a result of that meeting, those matters are being investigated by the Australian Federal Police. But they're very, very serious matters and we would hope that the Israeli government and the Israeli police would fully investigate them.
Karvelas: The ambassador says Israel respects the AFP, but he said it's wasting its time on what he described as a futile accusation. Doesn't sound like they want to play ball with Australia, does it?
Assistant Minister: Well, they're very serious allegations, allegations –
Karvelas: [interjecting] He says it's futile.
Assistant Minister: Allegations of sexual assault are certainly not futile. They deserve to be fully investigated and that's why the AFP have launched this investigation. I think now that obviously they need to be given the space to conduct that investigation. But we've also called on the Israeli authorities to undertake an investigation as well, and we hope that they do so.
Karvelas: Just want to talk to you about Pauline Hanson's speech. She's given a significant speech in that she's never addressed the National Press Club before. She says Australia must be monocultural and has called multiculturalism a failed policy. She's talked about languages spoken at home being an issue, Mandarin and Arabic. What's your response to that?
Assistant Minister: Well, I don't agree with her at all. I think that multiculturalism has enriched Australia. Take, for instance, my electorate. I've got a thriving Greek population that came post World War I and have settled in my community. We've got two Greek Orthodox churches and many of those younger members of the Greek community that were actually born here, but are proud of their heritage and their culture, and they continue to celebrate it and they invite me to their festivals, to their important church services, the Easter festival that goes on in my electorate, where they walk through the streets on Good Friday. Wonderful part of Greek culture that I appreciate and enriches our local community. I just think that Australia would be very, very boring if we went back to a monoculture. Imagine how boring the restaurants would be in Australia again if we were all eating meat and three veg and spaghetti out of a can.
Karvelas: Well, she didn't suggest our food should change. I wasn't there, so I didn't get to ask her that question. But she does say that English, we should be speaking English at home. What do you make of that?
Assistant Minister: Well, when people migrate to Australia, they are required to have English language skills, particularly given that three quarters of our migration program is skilled migration. But most of those people will continue to speak their native language, and I don't see a problem with that at all. In fact, it's an advantage to Australia if members of our population can speak more than one language. It's certainly an advantage if you're doing business in Asia, if you can speak an Asian language when you're trying to secure a business deal, it might be an investment overseas that will bring jobs to Australians. These are all advantages for Australia, for our economy. They enrich our society and they make Australia a more interesting place. And I think the great thing about Australia, Patricia, is when you become a citizen, we don't ask you to renounce your previous history, heritage and culture. It's quite the opposite. We want you to celebrate that because that's what makes Australia such a wonderful place to live.
Karvelas: She also talked about industrial relations. She wants to overhaul industrial relations. She says it's too hard to sack workers. Is it too hard to sack workers?
Assistant Minister: Well, I think this is One Nation's true colours really coming through. They don't support workers. And we're seeing that today in the comments that she made. In every single opportunity that Pauline Hanson and her party members have had to vote for better rights for workers in the Parliament, they've voted against them. So, when we were putting in place the same job, same pay regime, which is really important for miners, it eliminates the effect of labour hire, undercutting miners wages and conditions. Pauline Hanson chose not to side with the miners, she chose to side with the mining companies. And let's face it, that's not surprising given that Gina Rinehart is her biggest backer. When we put in new place new measures to support gig economy workers, she didn't vote for better protections for gig economy workers, she voted with the companies. I think that her true colours are coming through. And that comment that Australian workers have too many rights and their conditions are too high in Australia, I think is completely wrong. We've put in place a set of conditions that balance business opportunities, but at the same time provide decent wages and conditions for workers.
Karvelas: Ok, she. She also talks about wanting to defund SBS and make the ABC a subscription model. And she's obviously has some issues about some of the mainstream media. She's made complaints about the Guardian, the ABC. We know this. What do you make of those proposals? Do you think people care?
Assistant Minister: Two points. Firstly, the ABC is consistently Australia's most trusted news source when it comes to surveys of the Australian public. The other point is that the ABC and indeed SBS provide critical information to Australians during natural disasters. And we all know that if you're in a flood zone during heavy rain, if you're in a bushfire scenario, everyone goes to the ABC to get their information. And the third point I'd make is, Patricia, that a properly funded and functioning public broadcaster is a vital part of any democracy and ensuring that independence, which is part of the ABC's charter, so that the Australian public get news that is independent and informative is really, really important. The other point to make is that it's important for children's programming. We all know that Bluey got its start on the ABC and for Australian drama, the Australian artistic industry and telling Australian stories, most of those that get up on the ABC would not be taken up by commercial channels. So, it's really important for our democracy it's really important for our culture we shouldn't be cutting the ABC or the SBS at all.
Karvelas: There was the stunt by GetUp they've claimed responsibility which, you know, briefly derailed her speech although she didn't respond it was about workers rights do you think stunts like that are helpful?
Assistant Minister: I don't think they are. Obviously what was on the poster is correct but I don't agree with the tactics I think that when someone's invited to the National Press Club they should be given the space to give their speech free of interruption and then they take questions and then they can be probed about their policy so although what was on that poster was correct, I don't agree with that tactic
Karvelas: Matt Thistlethwaite, thanks for joining me.
Assistant Minister: Thank you, Patricia.