Josh Wilson Responds To Lack Of Independence Claims

GARY ADSHEAD (HOST): And of course, Josh is the sitting member for the federal seat of Fremantle and he joins me now. Thanks for your time, Josh.

Josh Wilson MP, supplied

JOSH WILSON: No worries, Gary. Good to be with you.

ADSHEAD: Just let me put that one to you then. So, Kate says, you know, you can’t vote the way you want to vote, that you’ve got to vote as part of a bloc within the Labor government. True?

WILSON: No, I mean, I don’t know where that idea comes from. I participate in the Labor Party decision making processes. I’m part of the national conference process. I’m part of caucus and caucus committees, and all of those things. And that’s how government works. I mean, at the end of the day, I’m not sure if Kate or anyone could contemplate an entire Parliament of independents. I mean, who would the government be? Who would the Prime Minister be? How would you have an agenda that the Australian people can consider? And I’ve shown in my time as the federal member for Fremantle how a local representative who grew up and has been shaped by Freo my whole life then carries those values into the national parliament. Stopping the live sheep trade is probably the best example. I was elected in 2016. That wasn’t the Labor Party’s policy to make a sensible transition out of a marginal, cruel, and unnecessary trade at that point. I argued for it. I worked internally to achieve the change in policy. We took it to two elections and now we’ve legislated a sensible, well managed end to that trade with an assistance package to make sure that Western Australian farmers take advantage of all of the benefits that we get from expanded trade opportunities with chilled and frozen meat, a trade that’s grown 400% while the live sheep trade has declined by 90%. I mean, that’s a Fremantle born and bred policy initiative that I have carried into the national Parliament and delivered.

ADSHEAD: And you’re probably on the same page there, though, but if we go to the policy setting and you heard Kate talking about AUKUS, is she wrong when she says that that’s a bad deal for the Australian people, it’s a great deal for the US administration and that’s currently being run by Donald Trump and we should be worried?

WILSON: Well, there are a lot of things in that. I mean, AUKUS is not just about the acquisition of nuclear propelled submarines. It is a technology sharing arrangement between ourselves and two pretty key security partners. And there are some aspects of that deal that are important to our future well-being in having an Australian Defence force that is fit for purpose. And you know, we have in the federal Electorate of Fremantle, in the Cockburn part of it, down in Henderson, one of two shipbuilding hubs, two national shipbuilding hubs. And I’ve stood up for Australian shipbuilding because as an island continent nation, we need to have that sovereign capacity, both in terms of the industrial side of it and the workforce and skills side of it. And I’m glad to be part of a government that will deliver an Australian strategic fleet, because we can’t, as an island continent nation that doesn’t want to be knocked around by changes in government or changes in administration in other parts of the world, go without that capacity. I think it goes to show that these issues are complex and serious and they need to be dealt with in a serious and responsible way. I’ve been part of that. I’ve been fortunate to be part of that because my community has given me the great trust and responsibility of being their representative. And I’m happy to ask for that trust again, as I do at every election.

ADSHEAD: I certainly think that what Kate Hulett said in relation to gas exports touches a nerve in Australia, where we’re now contemplating a situation where gas may have to be imported into this country, particularly to the east coast, of course, and that that could be at greater cost and could rise power prices. There is a level of insanity in that. Would you rather see your government, \because Angus Taylor, I know, said on the weekend that, you know, they were certainly looking at the notion of keeping more gas in Australia. What do you think your government should do about that situation where you might have to see gas coming from Middle Eastern countries over to Melbourne and Sydney?

WILSON: Well, it’s not a problem in Western Australia because a Western Australian Labor state government had the foresight to put in place an effective reservation policy. You know, that’s an example of what Labor governments do. They see something that is in everybody’s best interests. And even though at the time there were those, particularly on the conservative side of the political fence, who said that it wasn’t right to put a reservation policy in place, we did that. And that has put Western Australia in a very good position when it comes to security of energy and prices. But look, as the current Australian government, we’ve also acted to deal with the crisis that we’ve all experienced over the last couple of years. We put a cap on gas prices and coal prices to keep those pressures under control, we’ve provided a significant amount of direct energy relief, more than $2,000 to every household in Western Australia. The Prime Minister just announced we’re going to be doing that again in the current budget. But most importantly, we’re undertaking the work that delivers that cheaper, cleaner and more self-sufficient energy future, which is an energy future dominated by renewables and storage. And I was with Chris Bowen announcing four new big batteries that the Australian government will invest in for Western Australia, which will be the first jurisdiction in Australia to come out of coal-fired power in 2030. So, you know, if my community, which I think quite rightly expects someone to roll up their sleeves and be part of that work in a detailed, substantial and effective way, is looking for that kind of representative, I don’t have any problem saying, you know, please trust me with the responsibility of continuing to do that work. Considering the achievements of the government that I’m part of and the things that I personally help deliver.

ADSHEAD: Just finally, how different a seat is it federally when you look at the demographics, you look at the suburbs that Fremantle federally reaches into, is it a whole new world once you sort of hit, I don’t know, Bibra Lake, Beeliar, Munster, for Kate to have to deal with?

WILSON: Well, for all of us, you know, it’s not that this is not a contest between Kate Hulett and myself. There’s already a number of other candidates and everyone starts off scratch. I’ve got a record as a representative that I hope people consider, but that doesn’t carry over into any starting vote pile. I start from scratch. I’ve lived in both Freo and Cockburn and East Fremantle. All three local government areas are part of the federal electorate of Freo, which goes from Rottnest Island, Freo Port, Jandakot Airport, Aubin Grove, you know, the largest government primary school in the state on the other side of the freeway down there in the southeast. It’s a community and a landscape that I’ve lived and breathed all my life. And Kate will be in the same position that I’m in, making an argument to those people, in my case, on my values, my principles, my work ethic and my record and saying, please trust me with the great responsibility of being your representative in the national Parliament.

ADSHEAD: Does it make your work a bit harder? I mean, that swing, you know. You know, as an observer watching what happened in Fremantle, I’m not saying it’s unprecedented in Freo, but the swing was very sizeable. And if Simone hadn’t had the cushion she had, she’d be gone.

WILSON: Well, I mean, when you’re in representative politics, you take nothing for granted and you see things change from election to election. I mean, I had an election in 2018 that was essentially just me against the Greens and a Liberal Democrat. You know, people made predictions about how that that would turn out. I mean, I don’t need additional motivation. I’m lucky to do what I regard as the most meaningful thing I could possibly do with my life. And I approach every election with a massive amount of energy because I like campaigning, and a massive amount of respect because I respect the process and I respect the community that I’ve grown up in and that has shaped me. And I’m happy all day, every day to talk to people and say, let me take on the responsibility of leadership and public service on your behalf.

ADSHEAD: Alright, well, maybe down the track we might get you and Kate in for a debate.

WILSON: Well, I think it should be Kate and Amy Warne, who’s the candidate for the Greens, John Bird, who’s the candidate for the Australian Citizens Party, and Josh Last, who’s the candidate for the Socialist Alliance.

ADSHEAD: I got four mics, I got four microphones here in the studio. Don’t get too carried away, but we’ll see what we can do, eh?

WILSON: Yeah, for sure. No worries.

ADSHEAD: All right, Josh. Josh Wilson there, the Federal MP right now.

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