The former deputy prime minister has defended the former Coalition government's handling of diplomatic relations in the Indo-Pacific on the day the foreign minister launched a thinly veiled attack on their tone in the region.
Penny Wong told the Guardian that Australia had “not always listened to the countries of south-east Asia and of the Pacific as carefully as we could have”, saying the Albanese government had been working to change that as they "put listening above lecturing”.
The minister said she had visited 24 Indo-Pacific countries in her first six months in office.
Michael McCormack told FlowFM listeners on Wednesday the former government couldn't visit Pacific neighbours as much as it would have liked in recent years during the pandemic, which Australia handled well in his view not just at home but for the benefit of our neighbours:
"We've managed such that every index you like to look at, and the Hopkins Research Index is the number one in the world. They rated Australia second in the world for our response to COVID. And of course, response to COVID meant very much that we looked after our neighbourhood and our neighbourhood is the Pacific, the Southeast Asian Pacific region, and we did that very, very well. And we made sure that we pulled out every stop to ensure that people's lives there were very much protected by putting out the vaccinations, by providing the medical help. And that situation hasn't altered since Labor took government. So we've always spoke with one voice in this area.
"And also I appreciate Minister Wong has made comments about that this morning. I respectfully disagree with the fact that we weren't a good government. The coalition, when we were in power and we very much looked after the Pacific needs and region."
Hear the full interview on the Flow podcast player below. The transcript follows.
TRANSCRIPT:
This is an automated transcript and may contain errors. Please check against the audio delivery.
LAMBERT:
Back in 2023. Michael McCormack, the member for Riverina. Thanks for joining us again, Michael.
McCORMACK:
Good morning, Rikki.
LAMBERT:
Michael, look, we've been overseas in your Shadow Ministry roles. Just remind us what those roles are and what was the purpose of some of those trips and more so before Christmas.
McCORMACK:
Well, I'm the Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific and went to Vanuatu with member for Tangney, Sam Lim, to look at the elections there, to oversee the elections. That was late last year. And then, of course, we returned with Penny Wong, the Foreign Affairs Minister, with Pat Conroy, who is the Minister for International Development of the Pacific, and Simon Birmingham, who is the Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister, to go to Vanuatu, to go to the Federated States of Micronesia to look at the situations there. We signed a very good defence treaty, defence packed with Vanuatu. That was important, but to make sure that the Pacific islands knew that we were speaking as one voice. It's most important in this contested space at present that Australia is speaking with one voice. And indeed we generally have. We always have. These trips are not new, of course. COVID did prevent ministers from travelling abroad, not just to the Pacific, to anywhere. But since, of course, the restrictions for travel have come off, we're back very much, making these trips, which are important for our trade, important for our defence, and particularly in the Pacific, to let the Pacific island nations know that we are very much in their corner.
LAMBERT:
And that bipartisanship is important for, I guess, not having mixed messages received in the islands, among other things that are important, there is also they can be a source of labour for our farmers.
McCORMACK:
Indeed they are. And that point was very well made. I also went to Papua New Guinea there recently with the Save The Children Fund and wherever you go throughout the Pacific islands. Are very happy to come over. And in some of those little islands working in Australia and sending the money back home to their families is one of their biggest economic advantages. That's how they make a lot of their money. And of course, whether it's aged care, whether it's the hospitality sector, agriculture, whatever the case might be, particularly in regional Australia, we need those workers. And they come, they work in our university sector, right across the board, they're making sure that those jobs that many vacancies 80,000, 80,000 or so jobs in regional Australia at the moment vacancies at the moment, they are being filled. And the Pacific Labour Hire Scheme is a very good one and it's worked successfully over many, many years. It's not just in fruit picking, it's not just in abattoirs, it's in many and varied industries and white collar jobs as well. And we very much appreciate the work that the Pacific island nations do well.
LAMBERT:
When it comes to that bipartisanship, maybe in a Vanuatu or Micronesia, everyone's on the same page. But Penny Wong in some commentary reported in the Guardian this morning, says Australia hasn't always listened to the countries of Southeast Asia and the Pacific as carefully as we could have and that her government would be working to change that and also said that they would be putting listening above Lecturing. They do seem very thinly veiled, jabs at your former government.
McCORMACK:
That might be her view. We did a lot in that space and let me tell you, whenever there was a disaster, whether it was the Tonga earthquake around about this time last year, whether it was indeed any situation that arose, it was always HMAS Adelaide or HMAS Melbourne. We’re first on the scene, we were making sure that we flew in supplies, medical professionals, equipment when the vaccination vaccinations needed to be spread across the island nations, we were the ones first there and I can remember very, very well sitting in those meetings and having the then Minister for Health, Greg Hunt say, we have to make sure the Pacific is well catered for and we made that a priority. We've always made this area, this region a priority indeed, where it's not only its greatest trading partner, we're also its greatest development aid benefactor and we make sure that we provide the assistance to help these nations and that's going to continue.
LAMBERT:
And you're a former Deputy Prime Minister as well, Michael, and I just wonder whether, in the context of I think these comments are coming as the Foreign Minister seeks to reset the conversation with China. I mean, has there always been a consistent effort in the Pacific or is it just the media saying there's been a renewal of that effort since, you know, since the Chinese tensions and the deals in the Solomons, for instance?
McCORMACK:
Yeah the government is always going to say that we're going to do something better than the previous government, particularly when the previous government was of a different political philosophy. They're always going to say that. But of course, we've got to understand we're in a situation at the moment, I think, where a lot of people forgot that we had a COVID for which we shut down not just Australia, but it indeed shut down the world for more than two years and still hasn't gone away. There's still many, many people dying, dying in aged care. Indeed, there's probably been as many people die since the Albanese government took over as what actually the sad situation when we're in government and as a nation, we've handled the situation very well. We've managed such that every index you like to look at, and the Hopkins Research Index is the number one in the world. They rated Australia second in the world for our response to COVID. And of course, response to COVID meant very much that we looked after our neighbourhood and our neighbourhood is the Pacific, the Southeast Asian Pacific region, and we did that very, very well. And we made sure that we pulled out every stop to ensure that people's lives there were very much protected by putting out the vaccinations, by providing the medical help. And that situation hasn't altered since Labor took government. So we've always spoke with one voice in this area. And also I appreciate Minister Wong has made comments about that this morning. I respectfully disagree with the fact that we weren't a good government. The coalition, when we were in power and we very much looked after the Pacific needs and region.
LAMBERT:
Well, it seems Treasurer Jim Chalmers is respectfully disagreeing with the economic direction the former government was taking the country as well. It's like he's turning the economy off and switching it on again. What's the message and the agenda you'll be taking back to Canberra for Riverina voters?
McCORMACK:
What Jim Chalmers said about looking at capitalism and looking at the economic situation in this nation, I think would have seen a shiver down the spines of everybody who has ever tried to run a business, ever started up a business, ever opened their doors for customers. This is a situation ever hired someone. I don't know whether all that many people on the Labor side have ever actually taken that risk. They actually put their own money on the line to take that opportunity, but also to take that very big risk of running a business. They're all very good at making sure that they bow to the union's whims, but business needs to be able to operate in an affordable space that's with the affordable energy that's with Labour schemes and making sure that you've got the potential to hire people without it costing you an arm and a leg. This is a situation where we need to there's a balance in the economy and we don't want to tip to one the gym charmers way too much because we need to make sure our economy, which remains strong. In fact, it even grew through COVID, one of the only nations in the world in which it did, where unemployment fell, where there were jobs, where the economy ticked over nicelythanks to the policies that we put in place. We don't want to tear all that down just because Jim wants to make sure that his university thesis is followed through and the doctrine that he believes in is a bit of a worry for business.
LAMBERT:
Something that nature tore down was a number of roads in your electorate. Indeed, in Regional, New South Wales. Is the need for the federal government to step up even more highlighted when it comes to the condition of roads in the area? And that there is. And the roads are in a treacherous state. They're in just an appalling state, a dangerous state. In fact, I've even been driving around this morning and the potholes just in the cities, in the urban areas, let alone when you're out on the open road and it's 100 kilometres an hour and some of those potholes haven't had a lick of asphalt for some months. I appreciate the New South Wales Coalition government’s put $500 million in. And thank you, Paul Toole and Sam Faraway, for that. But much more is going to be needed and the federal government needs to stump up. I know they've made an announcement for the Newell Highway. That's probably just a drop in the ocean to what they need to do right across the board. And our roads are our arterial network that make sure that we get kids to school, we make sure we get goods right being ferried right across the nation. And our truck drivers deserve the very best. People who are driving small and light vehicles also need to know that they can get where they need to get in one piece. And at the moment, I would urge and encourage people to drive to the conditions. Don't necessarily drive to the speed limit because those potholes are big enough to basically swallow up your little small car.
LAMBERT:
Plenty of talking points to take to federal parliament in Canberra starting Monday. Michael McCormack, the member for Riverina, thanks so much for joining us today.
McCORMACK:
Just a final little point. Gary O'Connell, his death disappeared in the Wagga Wagga paper today. Father of eight, former president of the Hume League, he'll be mourned right throughout Lockhart and your listening area. A powerful figure, not just in sport, but in the community and. Did so much philanthropy, farming, the whole bit, and barley. Gary O'Connell.
LAMBERT:
Great comments, Michael. In fact, we keep the light on there for you being one of our correspondents for footy in the future, I reckon in that region, you've got your eye on what's going on.
McCORMACK:
Indeed. All the very best, Rikki.
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