THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS

TRANSCRIPT
INTERVIEW WITH MARK LEVY, 2GB SYDNEY

MONDAY 23 JUNE 2025

Topics: Israel-Iran conflict, US strikes on Iran nuclear facilities.

E&OE

MARK LEVY: Andrew, good morning to you.

ANDREW HASTIE: Good morning, Mark.

MARK LEVY: What have you made of the events of the last 24 hours and where do you stand on these strikes from the US?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, firstly, the Coalition supports the US strike on Iran. The last thing the world needed was a nuclear-armed Iran. Iran is a sponsor of terrorism. It's a repressive regime. It's backed in Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. It's launched attacks on Israel last year in April and October, and the Supreme Leader has committed to wiping Israel off the map. So, when the IAEA earlier in this month, sanctioned Iran for being in breach of its Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations, that was the neon sign, that was the bell that rang. And it's not surprising that Israel attacked Iran on the 13^th. But the question was, will Iran retain their nuclear capabilities? They didn't submit themselves to a deal with President Trump for inspection, and President Trump took the action that he did to preserve regional stability and global peace.

MARK LEVY: I've got to applaud you, Andrew, and I've got to applaud the Opposition Leader in Sussan Ley for coming out with a clear and definitive statement in support of the US. We've had to wait until this morning to hear from Penny Wong. I said off the top of the program, where is the leadership? Where is the commentary from the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese? He's indicated to us here at 2GB and to my colleague, Ben Fordham, that he'll be speaking for a meeting of the Security Cabinet. But I would have thought now is a chance for us to stand in solidarity with our most powerful and important ally, yet we've heard nothing from our Prime Minister. Are you stunned?

ANDREW HASTIE: Look, I am quite taken aback by how flat-footed the Prime Minister has been. Yesterday, an unnamed Government spokesman came out with a very short statement in relation to the strikes, and today, only the Prime Minister has called the National Security Committee meeting. So, very flat-footed, very ambiguous. And the US is our most important ally, and this is all part of a larger failure by the Prime Minister to build a relationship with President Trump. You don't have to like President Trump. You don't have to support his politics, but the US is our most important security partner, and it's imperative that our Prime Minister builds a strong relationship with the United States.

MARK LEVY: I have no idea, Andrew, why our government has not come out on the front foot. I declared this morning that it was a missed opportunity, especially in a time where we can't have a face-to-face meeting, the Prime Minister that is, with Donald Trump. Especially when Trump himself said yesterday when addressing not only the American people but the world, he said for 40 years, Iran has been killing Americans and chanting “death to America, death to Israel”. What is there not to support? Why is there this tentative approach from the Australian Government? It makes no sense.

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, that's right, it does make no sense. And what I think we've seen here is the emergence of a new foreign policy doctrine under President Trump. There's three parts to it. I think the first part is that the US won't allow hostile actors like Iran to get weapons of mass destruction if there's a threat to US interests and allies—that's the first point. The second point is that the US will support allies and partners who have the means and the will to defend themselves. So, Israel has stood up for itself, and I think they demonstrated, like Ukraine, that they weren't going to roll over. And I think that's why President Trump supported them. Then the final point is that the US expects their partners and allies to invest in defence, but also to play a role in shaping the world order. And I think this is where the Prime Minister has really let us down. He hasn't invested in defence. There's too little defence spending at the moment. AUKUS is cannibalising the Army, the Navy, the Air Force. But he's also been so passive. Passive in helping the US uphold the global order that is the basis of our prosperity and security. And so, there's some real questions for Anthony Albanese, and he's shrinking in office every day, it seems.

MARK LEVY: What role will Australia play in all of this, if any, Andrew?

ANDREW HASTIE: Look, that's to be determined. Sussan Ley and I will be briefed hopefully by the Government later this week when we're in Canberra. I hesitate to speculate about defence or foreign policy commitments that we've made. Suffice to say, the US is our closest partner. The US has taken a really tough decision. I've just been reading the New York Times, there's a columnist there who is not a supporter of Donald Trump, but he said Donald Trump has shown courage and conviction in making the decision to take out these three nuclear facilities, in the interest of the world that Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon. That's Brett Stephens, the columnist of The New York Times. So look, it's pretty evident what's happened here, and again Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is hiding away from taking a position, that this is a world where we need leadership, and the US expects its allies to help it shape the world order so we uphold peace and security.

MARK LEVY: Andrew, late last night, I watched the Iran Foreign Minister speaking to the UN Security Council, and he pointed the finger at the US and suggested that they've acted against international law and the like, which is ironic when you consider the point you made with your first answer, in respect of this being a regime that's funded terrorism around the world and sponsored terrorism around the world. It's a bit rich for the Iranian Foreign Minister to point to international law when they've done everything in their power to virtually turn their back and cause death and destruction worldwide.

ANDREW HASTIE: Iran is the lead sponsor and investor in terrorism. We've seen that with what they've done with Hamas, with Hezbollah, the Houthis. They've fired rockets, they've even conducted foreign interference in Australia. There's a reason why Mike Burgess, the Director General of ASIO, mentioned Iran in his annual threat update. So, Iran is no friend. And for those to mount these international law arguments, is to miss the bigger picture. Israel has been under attack since October 7th, and Iran has been behind all those attacks. And so, you shouldn't look at this so much as a pre-emptive strike. I think you've got to consider what the Director General of the International Atomic and Energy Agency said, and that is Iran had reached the cusp, they're on the cusp of getting a nuclear weapon—60% enrichment. There's no other reason to enrich uranium to 60% other than to seek a nuclear weapon.

MARK LEVY: And what Australia needs at the moment is strong leadership, Andrew, and I've made no secret of the fact that I think you will one day be a great leader, and it's through examples like the one you're giving today, and what you're saying to me in what the response should be from an Australian Government. I thank you for your time, and I'll let you get back to your briefings. Thanks so much for joining us.

ANDREW HASTIE: Thank you, Mark, always a pleasure.

[ENDS]