MONIQUE WRIGHT, HOST: The Prime Minister departs Australia today, beginning his journey to the G7 summit, where a meeting with US President Donald Trump is likely, however it certainly hasn’t been confirmed. Anthony Albanese is under mounting pressure to secure talks after Mr. Trump’s Defence Secretary announced his department would review our multi-billion dollar AUKUS deal. Secretary Pete Hegseth has publicly criticised our defence spending as well, urging that it be lifted as soon as possible. For more we’re joined by Health Minister Mark Butler and Shadow Finance Minister James Patterson. Morning to you both, good to see you. Mark, we’ll start with you. Look, we know that reviews happen. It is odd, though, that this AUKUS review was announced so publicly. It's even called a snap review.
MARK BUTLER, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGEING: It is unsurprising that a new government would want to review a project as significant as AUKUS. We did it through our Defence Strategic Review and the British government recently conducted a review itself. This is unsurprising to us. It had been discussed with our Defence Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. We welcome it. We're going to cooperate very fully with it, as we did the British review.
WRIGHT: But it's the public nature of it, Mark. That's the unusual thing. These things usually happen behind closed doors. It's not announced that we're going to review this with a new administration.
BUTLER: We were very public with our Defence Strategic Review. There was no secret that the British were reviewing a project as significant as this. I think the important thing for the Australian people, certainly for my community in the western suburbs of Adelaide, that will be building the AUKUS submarines, is we have full confidence this project will go ahead. It's in our interest, it's in America's interest, and it's in the British people's interest as well.
WRIGHT: Ok, James, let's talk about what the opposition thinks about all of this. Commentators this morning saying that Mr. Albanese is on a mission to save the AUKUS pact. Does the Coalition feel it needs to be saved?
JAMES PATTERSON, SHADOW FINANCE MINISTER: It absolutely must be, and I agree with everything Mark said at the end of his answer there, that it is something that's in the interest of Australia, but also the interest of the UK and the United States, and we wish the Prime Minister well on what is a very important mission for our country. The person who's conducting the review, Elbridge Colby, is someone I know. I've met with him twice in Washington DC to discuss AUKUS, and I'm very familiar with his views, and there are two major issues we have to overcome. The first is the US defence industry ability to produce submarines and we've got a good story to tell. We're contributing $3 billion towards that task. But the second is Australia's ability to receive and operate these Virginia-class submarines without it coming expense of ADF capability, and that's a much harder task. He believes we're not spending enough on defence, and all of our defence and national security experts in Australia believe that too. So in our own national interest, we should increase our defence spending, and we'll also help convince the Trump administration that we're serious about AUKUS.
WRIGHT: Mark, is that going to happen in the coming months, just quickly? There's rumours that you are going to announce that defence spending is going to be 3 per cent of GDP, are you gonna do it?
BUTLER: The Prime Minister has been clear, of course, if there was a case for greater capability, we would fund that capability. There's nothing more important for a national government to do than to fund its defence. But, you know, James, through the campaign, they talked about a particular figure, not telling the Australian people where the money would come from and not telling the Australian people importantly about what it would pay for. We take this project by project. If the defence force needs greater capability, of course an Australian government would fund it.
WRIGHT: Okay well we understand the Prime Minister is boarding a flight. He's got a big trip ahead. Thank you both for being with us this morning, Mark and James.
BUTLER: Thank you.