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

TRANSCRIPT

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES GLENDAY, ABC NEWS BREAKFAST

Wednesday 27 August 2025

Topics: Iranian Attacks on Australia, Porepunkah shootings of police.

E&OE……………………………………

JAMES GLENDAY: Andrew, welcome back to News Breakfast.

ANDREW HASTIE: Thanks, James, good to talk to you.

JAMES GLENDAY: Can we just start with this situation in Victoria? You've spent a lot of time on intelligence committees, things like that. How worried are you about the rise of this sovereign citizen movement?

ANDREW HASTIE: I think it's a real concern, James, and it has been rising over the last five years –the threat that is. There are a number of Australians who are quite dislocated and disenchanted with government, law enforcement and other critical functions which uphold the public good. This is a very sad incident. We've had two people lose their lives, a third badly injured, and we just hope this can be resolved soon.

JAMES GLENDAY: Yeah, typically, the opposition and the government work pretty closely together on things like this. I'm curious whether you think there's an easy answer, something that actually needs to be done now, off the back of Covid, off the back of the rise of these sorts of groups, to try to de radicalise people?

ANDREW HASTIE: There is no excuse for using violence in any situation in this country, I want to emphasize that point. But there was some damage done during Covid and I think governments across the board, state, federal and local, have to work extra hard to win the trust of the people they represent and serve. I think that's an ongoing task for us all.

JAMES GLENDAY: I want to take you then to Iran, of course, this announcement yesterday. The Coalition had called for the expulsion of the ambassador for some time now, and the listing of the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group as well. Can you understand why it took some time for the government to build a case so it could go forward and say, look, we've got this evidence now, see you later, ack your bags to the Iranian Ambassador?

ANDREW HASTIE: James, we stand by our record. We think it was right to call for the listing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps about 10 times since 2023, we called for the expulsion of the ambassador last year. But yesterday's decision was a good one. It was backed up by forensic intelligence provided by ASIO and other partners, and it draws a very red line in the ground for any country, in fact, who would consider conducting foreign interference, espionage, sabotage, or indeed even targeted killings on our soil. It's worth reminding your viewers that people could have died in the Adass firebombing and so it's a very fine line between, sabotage or burning a building, and actually killing people. So this sends the right message to the Iranians that we don't tolerate this sort of behaviour in this country.

JAMES GLENDAY: Just before I let you go, is this going to be a precedent, do you think, for how Australia deals with this sort of thing over the next few years, maybe the next few decades? Because Iran's not the only country that's believed to be taking this sort of action within the Australian community.

ANDREW HASTIE: Authoritarian powers are using underhanded tactics across the globe, but we've seen the Iranians do it here. I think it sends a strong message that we do not tolerate this sort of thing. And if we have strong evidence, as we do – I was briefed yesterday by Director General Mike Burgess of ASIO – if we have the strong evidence, the Australian Government will act with the support of the loyal Opposition, to send a message that you're not welcome in this country.

JAMES GLENDAY: Alright, the Shadow Home Affairs Minister, Andrew Hastie, we appreciate your time on the show this morning.

ANDREW HASTIE: Thank you.

[ENDS]