Subjects: Deporting criminals, gender quotas, biosecurity measures for foot and mouth disease, incoming passenger declarations
GREG JENNETT: Shadow Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews joins us now from the Gold Coast. Karen Andrews thanks for joining us. Can I start with something that’s kind of developed late this afternoon? Extra biosecurity measures are being put in place to control that foot and mouth disease outbreak emanating from Bali in Indonesia. What’s your sense of the capacity in the Border Force and other frontline agencies to keep this in check, given some of the depleted numbers we know are already in place around airports?
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, foot and mouth disease is a really serious disease that we don’t want coming into Australia. Now, obviously our border security measures are critically important at this time. Look, I have a very high level of confidence in firstly, Border Force, but also in the support that is given through the Ag Department with biosecurity personnel. They will do all that they can to make sure the passenger declarations are filled out appropriately, but it relies very, very much on people coming into Australia, ensuring that they are filling out their declarations correctly, declaring what they need to, particularly if they’ve been to any farms, any properties, whilst they have been overseas, particularly in Bali in Indonesia. But I have a lot of confidence in our officials that they will do all they care at our borders to make sure that Australia remains protected from foot and mouth disease.
GREG JENNETT: Yeah, it is a shared responsibility and I think the government has noted that in making these announcements this afternoon. What about the removal that happened overnight our time, of some of the border requirements to declare vaccinations and other online paperwork, I guess you would call it, in a digital sense? How long until the mask mandates should be removed, that’s within planes themselves, not airports?
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, I think every Australian would be very, very happy to see us return to a very normal way of life, which is what we experienced pre COVID. So, clearly changing the settings at the border has been underway. We opened our borders officially from the end of last year, where we started to open it for skilled workers to be able to come in for families to come in for tourists to come in. So, that was all very important. Now, we need to look at what the measures are now, when the Coalition was in government, we took advice from the health officials. It’s great to hear that Labor is doing exactly the same thing. They’re listening to the health officials and what is being put in place is hopefully exactly what has been re recommended by health officials. I will be very happy to see the end of masks here in Australia, whenever that may well be.
GREG JENNETT: Alright, an associated question that does actually go back to your own time and experience in government now that these vaccine declarations are no longer required online, what’s your understanding of the Novak Djokovic situation and others like him, having been through what they went through? And I think at least, ostensibly, they’re supposed to be, or could be, barred from reentry into Australia for 3 years, where do you think the removal of this requirement leaves him and others like him?
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, the border settings that were in place at the time and frankly, throughout the period of COVID and potentially into the future, were very important to make sure that Australians were protected. So, I believe that they were the right settings at the time. Now, things have moved on and we are in a better position. Now, we do have high levels of vaccination rates, even though we could still have more people being vaccinated with their third shot. So, their second booster, that would be an important thing for people to be doing. Now we do need to keep those rates as high as we possibly can, but the circumstances that surrounded Novak Djokovic at the time were very appropriate. And yes, there are provisions, therefore, bars to entry into Australia to be put in place and to be maintained, it’ll be a matter for the current government as to what they choose to do with that. And whether or not anyone who has previously been barred from entry to Australia or has been required to leave Australia will be allowed entry into Australia.
GREG JENNETT: If you were the decision maker armed with the facts that you were at the time, what would be your inclination if the application comes forward from Novak Djokovic around November, December of this year?
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, I would assess the information that I was given on its merits. Obviously asking a lot of questions. I would rely on the first instance on advice that came through to me from the Department of Home Affairs. But look, I really don’t want to get into the hypothetical of ‘what would I do?’ because at this stage, we know that there is an increasing number of cases of COVID around Australia at the moment, we don’t know what the future holds. We hope that we are well beyond the worst phases of COVID, but I don’t want to preempt anything that may well happen.
GREG JENNETT: That’s the difference between being in government and opposition I suppose, you don’t technically have to. Karen Andews, can I also ask you about what looks to be a looming meeting, probably the highest yet, between an Australian Government minister and a Chinese of equal status, we’re talking here about Penny Wong and the Chinese Foreign Minister at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bali. Would you welcome that? What conditions do you think Australia should be applying to such high level contact?
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, when we were in government, we always said that we would look for a diplomatic resolution to, I guess, all matters of conflict with any nation. So, we were always open to the prospect meeting with counterparts from all around the world, but let’s be clear at this stage, yes, the Foreign Minister will be meeting with her counterparts tomorrow. Hopefully, it may well translate to their being a one on one meeting, but that’s not confirmed at this point in time, but I would be very, very clear in any meeting that I had, that our national security interests were paramount here in Australia. We needed to make sure that we were doing everything to protect our national interests. Of course, there are significant trade issues between Australia and China. It was disappointing that the Trade Minister was unable to secure a meeting with his counterpart. We’ll wait and see what happens with the Foreign Minister, but trade is particularly important here. And national security is critical to Australia.
GREG JENNETT: Human rights too, would you for instance place a demand on the Xi regime for the release of Cheng Lei the detained Australian journalist?
KAREN ANDREWS: Look, it would be one of the points of discussion if I had the opportunity to be part of that meeting, but clearly my focus would be on national security matters. And then I would be speaking about a trade, but that’s because my shadow portfolio is home affairs.
GREG JENNETT: Yeah, fair enough. Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand Prime Minister, is back in this country, I think there will be another level of contact with Australian ministers. We know, as a matter of record, that the Albanese Government is looking at ways to revisit the 501 deportations as they call it, as they apply to Kiwi criminals. Do you have concerns that accommodating New Zealand in this way, the integrity of that section in immigration law might be compromised or would you go along with it?
KAREN ANDREWS: No, I am very concerned about any relaxation in relation to cancellation of 501 visas. The Coalition was very strong in relation to 501s and making sure that people who did not pass character tests for example, would be deported. That is so important. I mean, we want to make sure that Australia is safe for Australians, and if there are New Zealanders or people from any other nation that do not meet our standards here in Australia, if they have taken sufficient action to cause a 501 character cancellation, then of course they should be deported. And I am very concerned that there would be any watering down, there would be any deals being done that would put Australians at risk. I mean the Labor-
GREG JENNETT: -if you watered that down, let’s consider extenuating circumstances, let’s say a fleeting, non-existent connection with life in New Zealand. Some of these people have almost literally never stood foot on that soil even though they’re citizens? Why would that water down the law if that was removed?
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, why should they be allowed to remain in Australia? I think is a better question to be asking. And I can’t see any reason for them to be able to remain in Australia. If their visa is cancelled, they should be returning home. So, they should not be allowed to stay here. And I’m, I’m very strong on that point-
GREG JENNETT: Alright, just finally on Party political matters concerning your side anyway. Female quotas, I’ve seen remarks from you in the last 24 hours or so. So just take us through your position, seems you’re up for the conversation, quote unquote, but you’re not actually committed to going down that path at all are you, Karen Andrews?
KAREN ANDREWS: Look, I’m not committed to going down the path of quotas. I am open to a discussion about how we can get more women to stand in winnable seats. So that means that they have to be preselected. So we need more women to stand for pre-selection and then to go on and win that seat. This is not the first time that I’ve spoken about that. I’ve been fairly public about my views on getting women into winnable seats for the Liberal party and in Queensland, the Liberal National party. That is very important. Now there’s a lot of concern amongst our party members here about quotas. And quite frankly, I’m really of the view myself that I would prefer to have always been selected on merit rather than on my gender. And I am concerned that women just being popped into seats because a number is required. There is not doing any particular service to that woman. It’s not doing any service to the electorate. Ultimately, it’s not doing a benefit to the Australian democracy.
GREG JENNETT: Preserving any right for some sort of parachuting by a centrally controlled mechanism, because if you left it entirely to grassroots democracy that could throw up all sorts of perversions?
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, the pre-selection process. And let me speak specifically about Queensland today to run in a seat, whether that be changed, I’m not a particular fan of candidates being parachuted in. I don’t think it helps the person that’s being parachuted example, not from my party, but from the Labor party where Kristina Kenneally was parachuted into the seat of Fowler, Labor lost that seat. So, I think that that’s a very good warning to many people who are fans of people being parachuted into, into seats that you should never ever, ever ignore the views of the local party people.
GREG JENNETT: Yeah, long and unending conversation I’m sure, especially for your side of politics. We might revisit that sometime in the future. Karen Andrews, thanks for your time.
KAREN ANDREWS: Pleasure.