THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE

TRANSCRIPT INTERVIEW WITH JIM WILSON, 2GB DRIVE

MONDAY 22 AUGUST 2022

E&OE…

JIM WILSON: Now we've reached out to the Defence Minister’s office, there's yet to be a reply. But someone who did reply was the Shadow Defence Minister, Andrew Hastie, and he joins me on the line. G’day Andrew.

THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP, SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE: G’day, Jim, good to be with you.

JIM WILSON: Thanks for your time. Obviously, a returned servicemen as well as being a politician, what was your reaction to Richard Marles failing to formally acknowledge Vietnam Veterans’ Day?

ANDREW HASTIE: I thought it was a major oversight and I think your public statements reflect your priorities. And I think this government, from the very top, from the Prime Minister down, need to have a good look - a good, hard look at themselves and reconsider their position because they overlooked veterans on Vietnam Veterans’ Day. In fact, the Prime Minister went on FM radio up in Brisbane and was asked what he's doing on November 11, and he didn't even know it was Remembrance Day and sort of committed to a dance concert with an American celebrity. He was asked it twice and he said he didn't know what he's doing on Remembrance Day. Anzac Day and Remembrance Day are sacred days on the Australian calendar. They’re days we remember the sacrifice of those who've died for our country, and those who've been wounded and carry emotional scars from war. And so, I thought it was a really poor showing from the Prime Minister. Richard Marles should have put out a statement but I'm more concerned about Anthony Albanese and his lack of priorities for veterans.

JIM WILSON: What makes this worse, Andrew, was that the very next day, Richard Marles issued a formal statement on how he joined a training session with Defence personnel as part of an AFL Women's competition promotion. So, he was having a call about that - why not Vietnam veterans?

ANDREW HASTIE: That's a really good question. Vietnam veterans have had it tough. As you would know, they weren't welcomed home in the way that we should have welcomed them. In fact, I was in Devonport last week at the RSL there and I caught up with an old Vietnam vet who had literally been in ambush 48-hours before he flew back to Australia. He wasn't allowed into the terminal in Sydney before he went on to Tasmania, and when he got back into Tasmania, he didn't get a very warm welcome. And you could see the emotion in his voice when he was telling me that story. And so, these guys still carry the scars and so, acknowledgement from the Prime Minister, acknowledgment from the Defence Minister matters. It really does matter to veterans. And that's why I'm calling on the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister to lift their game. They need to show that they care about veterans and their first move, in fact, to remove the Veterans Minister from cabinet was a bad one, particularly when we need to do a lot of work in the veteran space.

JIM WILSON: Before I let you go, the first interim report from the Veteran Suicide Royal Commission has just been handed down. Chief among the recommendations was clearing the backlog for assistance from the department. Are you hopeful that the new government will get this sorted?

ANDREW HASTIE: I'm very hopeful. Matt Keogh, the Veterans’ Minister, as you know is from WA, we share electorates right next to each other. I know Matt's taking this seriously. I'll be working with him because of course, you know, his success is our success - it's veterans’ success. And so, we want to see those backlogged claims resolved. I applied a couple of years ago, Jim, for my own claim - I've got a bad back, shoulder and hip no surprise, doing six years in the SAS - and it took a long time to get resolved so I know very personally, how long these things take and we need to get on with it.

JIM WILSON: Andrew, thank you for your time this afternoon.

ANDREW HASTIE: Thanks very much, Jim. A pleasure.

[END]