THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL

STATEMENT ON DANGEROUS INTERACTION WITH PLA

Thursday 13 February 2025

Reports that a Royal Australian Air Force P-8 Poseidon has once again been targeted by a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft are deeply troubling.

These actions are not only dangerous and reckless, but they put the lives of our Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel – who were thankfully not injured during this incident – at risk.

Under this weak Prime Minister, and his part-time Defence Minister, these incidents are continuing to occur. They continue to fail to show strength and stand up to their Chinese counterparts to condemn such actions.

Richard Marles must explain why he has conveniently released this information at the end of a Parliamentary sitting week, despite knowing about the incident for days, avoiding serious questions about national security matters.

The Coalition calls on Richard Marles to demonstrate leadership for the people of the ADF he represents and condemn these actions directly with his counterpart.

[ENDS]