THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND SOVEREIGN CAPABILITY
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR CANNING

TRANSCRIPT

INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW CLENNELL, SUNDAY AGENDA

Sunday 1 March 2026

Topics: Iran conflict; ISIS brides; One Nation; Liberal Party review; Coalition; capital gains tax, negative gearing; Future Made in Australia; Farrer byelection.

E&OE……………………………………

ANDREW CLENNELL: Joining me now is Shadow Industry Minister Andrew Hastie from Perth, and of course, a former assistant defence minister, a former SAS veteran. Andrew Hastie, thanks for coming on. You came on Sky with me the day the Ukraine war started, so we're making a habit of this. What do you think of the action by Donald Trump, and why now, in your view?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, I think Iran is an enemy of Australia. They've conducted terrorism on our shores, and they're also a geopolitical bad actor. They've been seeking a nuclear weapon for some time, and they've just murdered upwards of 25,000 of their own citizens over the last few months. I'm not surprised that President Trump has taken this action along with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Can I say though, President Trump is an apex opportunist, and when an opportunity presents, he strikes – as he did last year in June with Operation Midnight Hammer, as we've seen in Venezuela, as he's done so in Nigeria. And what we're seeing here is he's setting the conditions for regime change in Iran. So, we're going to see precision strike degrade the Iranian government and their security services and as he said in his remarks last night, he's going to leave the rest up to the Iranian people.

ANDREW CLENNELL: That's a big call, though, isn't it? I mean, you've got the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and you've got an unarmed Iranian people. Does regime change work without ground troops?

ANDREW HASTIE: It's a massive call but given the restraining impulse of people in his administration, like Vice President Vance, there was never a prospect of boots on the ground. We saw what he did in Venezuela – in and out surgical operation. We saw what happened in Iran last year – sending those bombers to hit the three nuclear facilities. I suspect this will look more of the same. Let's see what happens. Certainly, it's high risk, but the payoff will be a new regime in Iran, and I think that's what President Trump is betting on.

ANDREW CLENNELL: Do you believe this will lead to a new regime, and what if it doesn't?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, I don't know. I haven't been briefed on this; I'm just watching the media as you are. There's a lot of risk and as a veteran of the so-called Forever Wars, I'm very suspicious about regime change by force. But Iran has a terrible regime – they're a proxy, they're underwritten by Chinese and Russian tech. So, this is also a demonstration by President Trump that he is reestablishing deterrence and he's also going to send a message to some of his other geopolitical competitors that US military technology is superior. He made that point after Venezuela, defeating Russian and Chinese tech in their air defences. I assume the same point will be made post this operation as well.

ANDREW CLENNELL: Should Australia have a role here? We've got National Security Committee of Cabinet meeting this morning. Do you think Australia should offer support?

ANDREW HASTIE: I don't have any information, Andrew, about what requests have been made. My first concern last night when I saw footage of a missile hitting Bahrain was for the ADF personnel who had been sent there over the last few years. I don't know what the picture is, and I'd hesitate to comment without any information on that.

ANDREW CLENNELL: How significant would it be if it is in fact true the Ayatollah has been taken out?

ANDREW HASTIE: Hugely significant. That's the spiritual leader of the regime. But who knows? There's a lot of misinformation out there. There's stuff that needs to be verified. We just don't know what's going on. We'll just have to wait and see.

ANDREW CLENNELL: Iran has retaliated. But given missile defence systems and the like, do you think they have the power to do much damage? I mean, obviously, I guess they've grounded every sort of Middle Eastern airline which service Australia, so they've had that effect. But otherwise, do you see them doing much damage?

ANDREW HASTIE: Look, I think last year, Israel demonstrated that it has a very effective missile shield, and I also think the US demonstrated a lot of capability during Midnight Hammer. Let's see what happens with Epic Fury. But I assume that they would have replenished their stocks, and what we've seen so far – reported strikes across the Gulf states, UAE, Qatar, Saudi and Bahrain – hopefully that's the end of it. But who knows? One thing's for sure, Andrew, it'll be difficult for these ISIS brides to return under these conditions.

ANDREW CLENNELL: Well, interesting angle. Yeah, do you think that will stop the government bringing them in? Do you have any concerns about the performance of Tony Burke in respect to this? He says he's not talking to his old friend Jamal Rifi who's trying to get them back. What's your take on the whole saga?

ANDREW HASTIE: Who knows. There are two choices here. Either the government is incompetent and they're not on top of this, or they're lying. There are only two choices: incompetence or lying. Whatever it is, this doesn't engender confidence in the Australian Government. Particularly when we're talking about people who have betrayed Australia, they've participated in some of the worst atrocities this century, and they're now looking to return home. The door should be closed on them. We don't want these people back in our community, particularly after Bondi. So, we'll be asking questions of Tony Burke throughout the week.

ANDREW CLENNELL: What's your fear in relation of this? Are you saying they could become terrorists in Australia?

ANDREW HASTIE: Yeah, I'm worried they'll come back and they'll be celebrated in some parts of the Australian community. We've seen the growth of militant political Islam. We saw its fullest expression last December when 15 innocent Australians were gunned down in cold blood down at Bondi Beach. So, I share what a lot of Australians share, and that is anxiety about militant political Islam. If you've gone to fight with ISIS, well, there are serious questions about your ability to integrate into Australia and live a meaningful life that contributes to our social cohesion.

ANDREW CLENNELL: Let's talk about the rise in One Nation. How much of this is a response to the Bondi terror attacks in your view?

ANDREW HASTIE: I think there is a strong response to what happened in December. But I think One Nation supporters at the moment need to be taken more seriously. There are deep grievances. First, economic. People feel like the economy is not working for them, particularly for working Australians. It's very hard to get ahead. Inflation is eating into their purchasing power, and it's very difficult to get into a home, let alone pay off a home, over the course of your lifetime. And then I think there's cultural grievances as well. I think people are very frustrated with the governing class in this country, who've more or less adopted a black-arm view of Australia that we're not legitimate, that we have a negative history. And One Nation voters are the sort of people who love Australia Day, they love Anzac Day, they love their country, they love their local communities, and they feel that they're very much at odds with the prevailing worldview that comes out of Canberra. And that's being reflected in the growing One Nation vote. We'd be foolish to write it off as just a response to Bondi. I think there's economic and cultural issues at work here too.

ANDREW CLENNELL: Do you think the Liberals should allow preferencing of them in how to vote cards this time, as opposed to previous accounts?

ANDREW HASTIE: I'm fine with that. Back in May, I reached out to my One Nation candidate. He's a good guy. Fernando Bove down here in Mandurah. I've got a lot of time for him; his girls work at the local Thai restaurant. These are normal Australians, and I'm happy to work with anyone on the centre right who wants to deliver better outcomes for the Australian people.

ANDREW CLENNELL: How do you feel about being Deputy Leader in the House of Representatives? That's a step up for you.

ANDREW HASTIE: Yes, it is. It's a huge privilege, and very grateful for Angus Taylor for giving me the opportunity, along with this new portfolio of industry and sovereign capability.

ANDREW CLENNELL: Well, let's talk about that meeting chaired by James Paterson with Angus Taylor, where – I just have to show these pictures again, really. But James Paterson told you, Taylor had the numbers in the right faction. The courtesy of the Australian I should point out. James Paterson was a friend of yours. Do you have any ill will towards him over this? And what did he tell you about why Angus Taylor would be a better bet than you?

ANDREW HASTIE: I don't have any ill will towards anyone, frankly. James is a good friend. We've done a lot of work together over the years. And the thing with friendships in Parliament is that they're often tested through these times. But what matters most in a friend is someone who is willing to tell you what they really think. And often times that's a hard thing to do. So, I respect people who give you the unvarnished assessment. I spoke to a lot of people – not just James, or Angus, or Jonno Duniam, or Matt O'Sullivan – I spoke to a lot of colleagues, and it was clear that I didn't have the numbers. I'm very glad to have locked in behind Angus Taylor. I think where we landed is the right place, and I'm looking forward to being part of a unified team and hopefully delivering government in a couple of years’ time.

ANDREW CLENNELL: Let's talk about the Liberal review. It's not being released. Should it be? What improvements would you like to see occur? Have you patched things up with Peter Dutton since he accused you of being lazy, apparently?

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, I will say that I travelled to every single state, less Tasmania, earlier last year, prior to the election, and I got a five per cent swing towards me. Electorates rarely reward lazy MPs, so I stand by my hard work and my record. With Peter, I caught up with Peter recently in Perth, had a good steak with him. We've reconciled, I consider him a good mate, and I'd seek his counsel in the future because I think he's a good man with plenty of experience. As for the review itself, that was a decision of the Federal Executive of the Liberal Party, and I respect that. We've got to move forward. We've already gone over a lot of the mistakes that we made during the election campaign and in the lead up to it, and we're future focused. We've got to win government because this Albanese Government – we're about to hit almost a trillion dollars’ worth of debt end of financial year, Australians are going backwards, and Net Zero is choking our economy. So, we've got a lot to do, and we've got to win the next election, and that's by being focused on the future.

ANDREW CLENNELL: What do you make of the proposals by the government to float an idea to withdraw the capital gains tax discount and limit negative gearing to two-plus properties?

ANDREW HASTIE: Firstly, why would we want to tax Australians more? I read Bill Kelty's submission on the CGT inquiry and he made the point that working Australians are falling behind. The economy is not delivering for them. Jim Chalmers should be working out how he can deliver for working Australians and working families. Flying kites in the media – whatever, we'll see what happens. But certainly, if we do any sort of tax reform ourselves as the Coalition, it will be part of a process. We'll talk to the party room, Shadow Cabinet, and we'll announce a policy in due course. But certainly, we're not going to leap on proposals that have been floated in the media by Jim Chalmers. One thing we are clear, though, is we're not going to introduce more taxes on the Australian people. We're already burdened enough as it is.

ANDREW CLENNELL: So, you've taken on industry. How does manufacturing get up and running again in Australia? The government would say our Future Made in Australia program, does it?

ANDREW HASTIE: We've got to kill Net Zero. When you look at all of Labor's documents, central to energy and industry policy for Labor is decarbonisation and pursuing Net Zero. Don't take my word for it – go to the supporting paper put out by Treasury in 2024, the National Interest Framework for the Future Made in Australia. Page three, it says Net Zero is a critical imperative. Page four, they say we've got to build a new renewables grid, we've got to get to 82 per cent renewables by 2030 and spend about $65 billion building out the Capacity Investment Scheme. And then page 28 they say that China's advanced manufacturing dominance in the area of renewables – particularly solar, wind and batteries – is critical for us building our new grid. So, the future is actually a future made overseas under Labor, not here in Australia. And the reason why our advanced manufacturers can no longer compete internationally, primarily is because of energy. We've got to kill Net Zero. We've got to free up our natural advantage in energy. We've got to bring on that base load power of coal, gas and other sources. And we've got to get our economy moving again. We just will not compete unless we have cheap base load power for our advanced manufacturers.

ANDREW CLENNELL: Sussan Ley has quit Parliament, and we have a Farrer byelection. What are your chances there? And any final thoughts on Sussan Ley's career? Because clearly, she's not a person that you saw eye to eye with.

ANDREW HASTIE: Well, firstly, I think Sussan's a really good person. She served our party in a very tough period after a very tough election defeat. It's true, we didn't see eye to eye on some issues. But I always found her respectful, engaging, and someone I could work with in good faith. She is going to be hard to replace in Farrer. She is a popular local member with longstanding over 25 years, and when you lose an incumbent like that, it's going to be very, very difficult. There's going to be a whole lot of candidates in Farrer, and we'll see what happens. But certainly, One Nation will be pushing in. You got to remember as well that donation laws don't come into effect until July one of this year, so there's going to be a lot of money spent in Farrer. Who knows which way it will go. But I know that Angus Taylor, myself and others will be there. We'll be campaigning hard, and we'll be trying to win back those voters who are unhappy with the Liberal Party at the moment.

ANDREW CLENNELL: And it sounds like you think a preference deal with One Nation in Farrer would be okay.

ANDREW HASTIE: I just want better centre right outcomes for the Australian people. And if I have to work with the Nats, if I have to work with One Nation, if I have to work with anyone else who is committed to the same things as I am – a stronger Australia, more disposable income for families, more competitive business and industry for this country – then I'm happy to work with them.

ANDREW CLENNELL: Shadow Industry Minister, Andrew Hastie, thanks so much for your time.

ANDREW HASTIE: Thanks, Andrew.

[ENDS]