THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR CANNING

TRANSCRIPT

INTERVIEW WITH GARY ADSHEAD, ABC RADIO PERTH DRIVE

Tuesday 5 August 2025

Topics: Announcement on general purpose frigate build, Stop the Stink petition, Net Zero.

E&OE……………………………………

GARY ADSHEAD: Alright, a few things to talk about with Andrew Hastie, MP for Canning, of course, Federal Shadow Home Affairs, and acting Defence spokesperson. He joins me on the line now. Thanks very much for your time. Andrew.

SHADOW MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS, THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP: Good to chat with you, Gary.

GARY ADSHEAD: Alright, now before we get to your issue down there, specifically, just your reaction to the announcement? Obviously, we've had a sense that something was coming around these frigates - $10 billion contract for a Japanese company, and then, of course, beyond that, eight of them will be built here in Western Australia. Your reaction?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, it's taken the government more than two years to get to this point since they handed down the Defence Strategic Review so time is critical. So I'm glad they've made a decision, even if it's been late. The geopolitical framing is really important, Gary. Japan is obviously a close ally with common interests. We want to see a stable region. There's also the advantage that we'll have shorter supply lines with Japan, rather than, say, Germany. And of course, then the capability of the ship. There'll be a greater range for our missiles, there'll be more missiles, it's a bigger vessel, and it has a stealth profile. I will say, though, having been on one of these ships, the Japanese have designed the Mogami to account for their decreasing fertility rate - they need to be able to have smaller crews. So the crew is going to work pretty hard because there's going to be less hands on board the ship. And I'd also say that, as a tall bloke – I'm about six foot two – it's a smaller ship inside, so I had to duck my head a few times and not hit it on the doorways and whatnot. So there's a few adjustments I think that the Australian crews will have to make.

GARY ADSHEAD: Just on the manning of the ship, if I can use that term, what do you mean you would need less people to actually be personnel on board?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, Japan has a shrinking population. They've got one of the lowest fertility rates in the Asia Pacific region, and so they have to build vessels that account for that. So they've got to have smaller crews. You know, they've just got less people to crew ships. So the ship is designed around that, and that means there's less redundancy. People get sick on board ships, people have all sorts of issues and, you know, people need to do an extra watch. This is a ship designed for a smaller crew, so there'll be less Australians on board.

GARY ADSHEAD: Okay. Have you had any, some sort of concern around whether we should have left all of the contract with Japan in relation to these ships? And then the question mark as to, you know, the time frames and costs of it being built here at Henderson through Austal. What do you think of that?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, I think we need speed of delivery for our first three vessels, which we'll get, because the Japanese are already building these vessels. What I'm concerned about is our own industrial capacity, our own strategic ship building, and the government has not even made a decision on the Henderson precinct. They need to get on with that because I don't doubt that Japan will deliver the first three on time, but it's the next eight that come after that. We need to be investing in our schools, identifying the apprentices and people who will build these ships. We need decisions about the shipyard itself. It's got to be integrated with AUKUS, so there's that bigger challenge. And then there's funding it, which the Albanese government is still yet to do. So there's a lot outstanding, there's a lot of risk still in this project and I think it's really important that we get moving as a country.

GARY ADSHEAD: Hey, now down to something a little bit more local your way. I mean, I was a bit intrigued, because we remember covering this, certainly, one of the programs on the ABC covered the concerns around smell down in the area that you're talking about – Nambeelup. And they were looking at that point, I think, was it a mushroom farm or a mulch farm or something? There's a piggery next door. Is that the prime reason that you talk about this foul odour that's keeping people indoors?

ANDREW HASTIE: Yeah, well, the backstory is, Gary, the Peel Region has been a high growth area, so we've seen a lot of urban infill. There's new developments going in all through the north of Mandurah, so the suburbs of Karnup, Singleton, Golden Bay, Madora Bay, Lakelands as well. There's been a whole lot of homes added there. And just over the freeway to the east, there's three businesses. There's one called C-Wise, which does waste disposal. There's CM Farms, which is a piggery. And then there's a business called Mushroom Exchange, which does compost manufacturing and soil blending. And so what we were getting during summer, particularly when you've got really hot days and a roaring easterly, we were getting feedback from residents in that north Mandurah area that they could basically just smell blood and bone all day. They'd walk outside, they'd smell it. It would get into their washing when they'll hang it on the line. If they turn on their air-con, they'd get it pumped into their homes. So this has been building for some time. I went door-knocking, and I was trying to talk policy, national policy, and all people wanted to talk about was the smell affecting their quality of life. People were talking about selling up and moving. So I raised it, and I called a forum back in April, and I had 500 people turn up at the drop of a hat. And so I've been taking up with state government, the Environment Minister and the department that oversees it, because they're sitting on their hands. They're not doing anything about it.

GARY ADSHEAD: They last updated May 20, I think – they made an update that they was still sort of negotiating or in discussions with those companies that you just talked about.

ANDREW HASTIE: Yeah, and I'm not trying to run those companies down. They're businesses that employ people locally. I just want to get a solution so that everyone's happy, which means compromise. And it means that government has to be an honest broker, because, in the end, their job is to ensure that public goods like fresh air are available to all Australians, not just some.

GARY ADSHEAD: Okay. You certainly paint a picture of people that would rather stay indoors, not entertain outside, you know that it's just a constant battle with this smell.

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, during winter, of course, with the rain, it's not as obvious, but in peak summertime, yeah, it's an issue. And I've smelt it myself. I've smelt it outside my office here in central Mandurah as well - depends which way the wind is blowing. But again, it's not about dumping on the businesses. I'm just giving my residents and constituents a voice, and I've currently got almost 800 signatures, and we haven't been going that long, and there's people who run an online Facebook forum, so it's a real issue.

GARY ADSHEAD: Okay, is there any potential remedies to it that you know of that have been put forward?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, I hope that the government is working with those businesses to see what they can do to constrain the stink. These businesses obviously smell, and there's got to be a way around it, because this isn't going to go away. We're seeing more homes built in Karnup, particularly We're going to see more homes built for Defence and for AUKUS in the coming years as well. So I figure if we deal with this now and not later, it's better for everyone. Social license is important.

GARY ADSHEAD: Yeah, I'm just reading a response we've just got from the City of Rockingham. They say that they have written to the Minister for Environment requesting immediate action to resolve the ongoing odour nuisance to address the impacts on affected residents in the City. The City has also requested the Minister to instruct the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation to more effectively communicate to those impacted communities on current progress. So it sounds like there needs to be more info coming and a faster plan of action.

ANDREW HASTIE: That's right. And just to give your listeners a sense of the people who spoke up at the forum, I had an Alcoa shift worker, I had teachers from the different schools saying the children are complaining during school hours from Meadow Springs, Lakelands and Madora Bay. People from Stake Hill, which is sort of the acreage near the freeway. So, yeah, it's a problem, and government needs to step up.

GARY ADSHEAD: Hey, I'm not trying to be clever here with a segway, you know, from one stink to the next but that's that the situation over Net Zero. You've obviously made your statement loud and clear that Net Zero 2050 is not something that the federal Liberals should take as a policy. There was clearly a decision made down there at the State Council when a motion was put a couple of weeks ago. Now that does put you at odds with the state WA Liberals and Basil Zempilas. Have you talked that through at this point?

ANDREW HASTIE: First I'd say is it was a motion from Canning division which was carried unanimously then put to the State Council, carried on the voices – so that means it wasn't a vote, it wasn't contested in the room. People spoke against it, but it wasn't contested in any large numbers. And my basic position is that we need to respect the views of the party membership. It's as simple as that. Now, my view on this is very clear. I went on Four Corners after the election and I made it clear that I think there's a hypocrisy at the heart of the Net Zero economy, that we're willing to send our coal and gas overseas to some of the world's biggest emitters yet, we're denying it to Australians, and at the same time, we're taxing them to pay for the installation of industrial scale, Chinese made wind and solar farms. And I just think that's hypocritical, given that it's not going to move the needle with climate.

GARY ADSHEAD: I'm talking to Andrew Hastie, the MP for Canning. Of course, he's also the Shadow Home Affairs and acting Defence spokesperson at the moment. But you know, I asked you the question, do the state Liberals and the federal Liberals have to be on the same page on this or not?

ANDREW HASTIE: Net Zero itself, all the governing legislation is done at a federal level. So the Albanese Government is committed to Net Zero, they're the ones who do the targets. They've introduced the Safeguard Mechanism, which is a tax on heavy industry. They've introduced the Capacity Investment Scheme, which means your taxes are then used to subsidise inefficient renewable projects. There's the new Fuel Efficiency Standard, which is a tax on your vehicles. If you drive a four-wheel drive or a ute, you're paying more for it now, because they're trying to move you to an electric vehicle. And then there's the hidden tax on your power bill. People's power bills keep going up. They just keep going up and up and up. Why? Because power generators have to basically put a levy on your power bill to pay for all this sort of inefficient renewable stuff that the government is actually forcing them to install. So I just want a better deal for businesses, I want a better deal for Australian mums and dads who are already doing a tough trying to get into a home. I want a better deal for Australian industry, because guess what, I'm a patriot, and I think that if we're going to have a sovereign nation and we're going to be independent, we need to be able to make things as well. But at this rate, we're going to offshore all our industry, people are going to be poorer, and we're going to have worse living standards.

GARY ADSHEAD: You accept, though, that in the eyes of many voters, if the Liberal Party can't come together on some sort of strategy around climate change at the next election, then it could be even worse. I mean, I know that there's a sense that, you know, maybe there's people away from the inner suburbs that you're trying to tap into, but in order to win government, you do need the populations in the cities to agree, and clearly they're not on the same path as you with this, Andrew.

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, Gary, the Liberal Party is going through a policy process at the moment, so we actually haven't landed. I'm just making my personal position clear. I probably won't win this argument, but I do think that there is a massive transfer of wealth underway from some of the poorest Australians to the wealthiest, and it's because we're being taxed to subsidise all these renewable projects chasing these climate targets. So all I'm asking is for consistency. If you really want to limit carbon, then we should stop exporting 25 per cent of the world's coal to places like China and India. We should stop exporting 20 per cent of the world's gas to places like Japan, South Korea, China and India. Now I'm happy for those exports because I want to see people prosperous, but I just don't see the argument why we should deny it to the Australian people. It's unpopular but let me say this, Gary. We went to the last two elections – 2022 and 2025 – with Net Zero. We went to the election committed to Net Zero and so no one's actually really challenged it. Of course, I'm a member of the Shadow Cabinet, we're going through a process, but you asked me, I'm giving you an honest answer. I mean, people are sick and tired of politicians hiding their light, I'm just speaking with you plainly.

GARY ADSHEAD: Yeah and the interesting thing is observing the number of green energy projects. If we look at green hydrogen, for example, they're toppling like dominoes and the Queensland Government has been caught holding the baby on one of Andrew Forrest's ones there for about a billion dollars, they reckon. And we are seeing so much resistance to wind farm, etc. Would we make Net Zero by 2050, do you think, if you adopted a policy like that, and the government kept with it?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, here's the thing, Gary. Ross Garnaut, who's a long-time advisor to Labor governments said that Labor will not hit their 2030 target of 82 per cent renewables into our electricity grid. They're going to fall way short. Which is why the Productivity Commission, which they released their report on Sunday, has basically recommended that the legislation be amended so that when the government looks at projects like the offshore wind farm they're looking to put off the coast down at Dunsborough all the way up to Dawesville, basically, government should just ride over community concerns, because the energy transition is more important than environmental concerns. And again, this is another area of hypocrisy. These guys want to import all this stuff from overseas, which has all the emissions embedded in it – because to make wind farms, say in China, you need to use coal, gas or maybe nuclear – bring it over here and then rip up our ocean floors, destroy our views, install these massive wind towers on our coastline. And for what? Less efficient energy in the end.

GARY ADSHEAD: Alright, it's a debate that keeps going on. It's whether or not the Liberal Party can, can afford to have it, given the state of the situation but nevertheless. I'll give you one here, Andrew, it's the fact that you talked about hypocrisy. One of the great hypocrisies I could point out is that the WA Labor Party have walked away from its Net Zero 2050, policy that was embedded into its own policy documents. They have completely shelved it.

ANDREW HASTIE: Yeah, they've realised the storm's coming. There is a storm coming. Populism is taking over western democracies. Whether it's on the left side or the right side of politics, people feel disenfranchised. They're going backwards economically. Their prospects are far worse than they were a generation ago. And you've got these people who are effectively fleecing Australians with this massive transfer of wealth at the heart of the Net Zero economy. And WA Labor, they're smart enough to realise that they'll kill the cash cow that is the resources sector here if they're not careful. So, yes, hypocritical but also pretty shrewd because they can see what's ahead.

GARY ADSHEAD: Alright, interesting debate. Thanks very much for having the discussion.

ANDREW HASTIE: No worries, Gary.

[ENDS]