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

TRANSCRIPT

DOORSTOP
MANDURAH, WA

Saturday, 26 July 2025

Topics: Net Zero, Welcome to Country

E&OE……………………………………

THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP, SHADOW MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS: [The Liberal Party] is the equality party, it's the prosperity party, and it's the security party. And all four motions affirm that. It's a clear signal to the Australian people that we stand for something we're willing to fight for our convictions and our values.

JOURNALIST: The motion from the Canning division got up on the voices, I believe?

ANDREW HASTIE: Unanimously. Yes, that's right. People want a better deal, and we're calling out Labor's moral hypocrisy on climate and energy policy. They're willing to withhold coal and gas from the Australian people, but they'll send it to China and India and other big emitters so it's time that we call them out on that and that's what we're doing.

JOURNALIST: The reason for the motion talks about the three biggest emitters in the world not having committed to [Net Zero] 2050 and the impact on prices and power prices, on productivity, etc. Is that the reason behind the motion?

ANDREW HASTIE: That's right. So China, India and the US comprise more than 50 per cent of the world's emissions. We export a lot of our coal and gas to India and China – both their emissions are growing year on year – and yet we deny coal and gas to the Australian people. Meanwhile, we're buying Chinese made solar and wind, we're ripping up arable land, we're destroying our environment, and we're getting more expensive power, which is hurting our productivity, it's hurting our standard of living, and people are doing it really tough. So we're calling out Labor for their moral hypocrisy. If the Prime Minister had gone to China and said to President Xi: you need to reduce your emissions, we're going to stop exporting you coal and gas, I'd say, well, you've been consistent. But he didn't. He continues to enjoy the revenue that our coal and gas exports make meanwhile, we only produce 1.1 per cent of the world's emissions.

JOURNALIST: The actual motion calls on the federal opposition to adopt these policies so is that what you'd like to see? You'd like to see the federal Opposition Leader, your leader, adopt this as the federal Liberal Party's policy?

ANDREW HASTIE: I want to fight for the Australian people. I want to fight for our prosperity. I want to fight for cheaper power prices, so that families have more disposable income, so that businesses can be more productive. Right now, we have a tax on our cars, we've got a tax on heavy industry, we've got a tax on our farmers and people have a tax – a hidden tax – on their power bills, which is subsidising foreign made renewables. And I'm calling it out, and that's what we're doing, that's what the Liberal Party did today.

JOURNALIST: Obviously, there's a review of the energy policy underway, Dan Tehan's doing it. So this is the voice from WA, and you and the WA Liberals are saying this should be our federal policy?

ANDREW HASTIE: That's right. It's our job as the opposition to provide an alternative. We can't just slavishly imitate Labor. We've got to actually provide an alternative, and there is a viable one, and it will deliver more prosperity for the Australian people if we commit to it.

JOURNALIST: Do you think that this will add sufficient pressure on Sussan Ley to make that decision?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, we're part of a process, but I think it's pretty clear the South Australian division, the WA division, the Northern Territory division, have adopted this position. We'll see how the LNP goes in future weeks.

JOURNALIST: And how do you think this will play out politically at the next election? We've got four seats here in WA that went backwards at the last election. Is this going to help you claw back some of those seats here in WA and elsewhere?

ANDREW HASTIE: I think we've got to demonstrate that we're for the Australian people. We're going to put the Australian people first, which is why I've called for a reduction of the net overseas migration. Young Australians are locked out of the housing market. They're house poor because they're spending all their income on rent or a mortgage. It's delaying family formation. The fertility rate is the lowest in history, 1.5 births per woman, and we're still growing as a country. Net overseas migration is out of control under Labor. We need to cut it, because it's creating a housing demand crisis. And again, we've got to put the Australian people first.

JOURNALIST: Is that what that's doing, though? This is a motion on Net Zero specifically. Is this the issue that was screaming at the last election that you think is going to be enough to turn the tide, to get those voters in those metro and other seats to vote for you again?

ANDREW HASTIE: Energy underlies everything in the economy. Energy security is national security. Energy underlies our prosperity. And if we're not getting cheap, reliable, affordable power, then we're not going to be competitive as a nation. So this is about providing a clear contrast to Labor.

JOURNALIST: Which seats in Perth do you think you can win back with this policy?

ANDREW HASTIE: We could win seats all over the country if we just made the argument. And right now, no one's calling out Labor. No one's calling Labor out for the trade-offs they're making with our prosperity with their reckless energy policy and it's time we spoke up.

JOURNALIST: [inaudible]

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, not here in the WA division. We've passed it unanimously. And Matt and I are both sent by the WA division to represent our constituents here in the state.

JOURNALIST: So you don't think you've been tone deaf to the electorate then after the last election?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, I got the biggest swing in WA – five and a half per cent. Pretty sure I got a strong endorsement.

JOURNALIST: The other motion as well, was passed without needing to go to a vote on the flag and the Welcome to Country –

ANDREW HASTIE: – And the US Alliance.

JOURNALIST: – and the US Alliance as well, the three different points of that. Again, do you think that those issues are the ones that we people in the electorate are calling for that will help you to win back those votes?

ANDREW HASTIE: I think today, we affirmed that we are the patriotic party, we affirmed that we are the equality party, we affirmed that we are the prosperity party, we affirmed that we are the security party. And you've got to have convictions in politics. You've got to have convictions, otherwise you stand for nothing and that's what today was about.

JOURNALIST: So would you not stand then in front of a Aboriginal flag or Torres Strait Island flag?

ANDREW HASTIE: Look, I believe that the Australian National Flag is the only flag that speaks to the aspirations of all Australians, whether you're Indigenous Australian, seventh generation Australian, or a new Australian. That's what the symbols in our flag mean, it means parliamentary democracy, it means a federated country, and it means our unique southern hemisphere geography, and that's why we're affirming it. We shouldn't be diluting the strength of our flag, we should be affirming it.

JOURNALIST: So having the three flags, you must mean that that's diluting it. Do you think that three flags is being divisive, or do you think that this motion is divisive?

ANDREW HASTIE: I just think the Commonwealth of Australia has one flag. It's the only flag that's flying above our Parliament House. It's the only flag that's raised when we win a gold medal, and it's the only flag that sits on the coffin of our fallen fighting men and women when they're returned to us. So it's an important flag, and today was about it.

JOURNALIST: We spoke to Basil Zempilas before and he was saying that he's travelled around WA and people haven't been raising the issue of the flags or the Welcome to Country with him. People talk about cost of living, they talk about housing, hospitals, etc. That's just not an issue that people are talking to him about. So how's that going to help the party get back into government?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, I think if you ask Sandra Brewer, she has a large Defence constituency with the SAS, I'm pretty sure they're strong on the flag.

JOURNALIST: And too many Welcome to Country's then?

ANDREW HASTIE: We should have integrity in our public utterances. And when people just treat it as a liturgy that means nothing, that's what happens – it means nothing. So I think when we do acknowledgement of country, it's got to be in the right context. It shouldn't be said at every single meeting, whenever you land on a plane as some sort of genuflexion. It's a religious symbol, almost, and I think it's important that we just get on with business.

JOURNALIST: So in the wake of the last election and the rebuild and the refocus to the next election, you see this as an important step towards regaining government?

ANDREW HASTIE: I just think it's about affirming our values and convictions, not being fearful. People have got to stop living in fear of Labor and the Teals. We've got to lead from courage. We've got to step out, make an argument and prosecute the argument, and not back down. And that's what this is about today.

[ENDS]