TRANSCRIPT – Sky News Sunday Agenda

Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia

29 MARCH 2026

Sky News Sunday Agenda

Topics: One Nation, fuel crisis, Attorney-General travel repayment, Donald Trump, NACC, Under 16 social media ban

E&OE

Andrew Clennell

Joining me now is Shadow Attorney-General Michaelia Cash. Thanks so much for your time. I’m going to start by asking about Murray Watt, saying there that the Liberals and Nationals in the iron laws of arithmetic cannot be elected unless it’s in a coalition with One Nation.

Senator Cash

Oh, look. Murray Watt says a lot of things, and I’ve learned over a very long period of time that most of it just doesn’t make sense. We will only ever seek to form government by ourselves as a Coalition. And I’m actually, quite frankly, sick and tired of the Labor Party, who preference the Australian Greens, who are, quite frankly, far left activists that are anti semitic, until they can explain to the Australian public why they are consistently happy to take those preferences – quite frankly, I am not interested in what Murray Watt has to say. Our focus under Angus Taylor is very, very clear. We put the Australian people first, and we have two clear policy objectives: restore their standard of living. And for me, what is so important, protect those great Australian values.

Andrew Clennell

So you think you can claw this vote back off One Nation to get in a position to be in government?

Senator Cash

I think that under Angus Taylor, we are going to put forward a real choice for the Australian people. This is a government that, over the last four years, has not only turned its back on our great Australian values, but has also ensured that Australians are in the middle of one of the worst cost of living crises this country has ever seen. Angus is squarely focused on delivering policy that does the two things that I said in the first instance, defending our great Australian values, but also restoring our standards of living. There will be a real choice between the Liberal Party, the National Party, and the Labor Party at the next election. It’s as simple as that.

Andrew Clennell

All right, what do you make of what the government announced in relation to underwriting the independence on their petrol imports yesterday?

Senator Cash

Well, what about the fact, Andrew, that at this point in time, the most important thing to the Australian people is cost of living relief at the bowser. Angus Taylor has been clear the government could do two things today, slash the tax, but more than that, move the fuel to where it needs to be. I was interested that yet again, in that interview with Murray Watt, the government has again confirmed supply is not an issue in Australia. As they have said for last four weeks, there is more fuel circulating in Australia now than there was prior to the war commencing. Well, hey, hold on. How does that then marry up with the fact that there are now over 600 bowsers, servos in Australia that have run dry. The government today needs to take action to address those issues. Provide that cost of living relief at the bowser and slash the tax, but more than that, and this is where I think Andrew, Australians are so confused. If the supply is in here in Australia, why isn’t the minister picking up the phone and telling the companies get the fuel to where it needs to be?

Andrew Clennell

But is it because everyone’s buying petrol at once? I mean, is it time for restrictions in petrol sales like odds and evens number plates?

Senator Cash

Well, now the problem with that is the government tells the Australian people there is no issue with supply. If there is no issue with supply, the path that you’ve just put to me, you don’t need to go down. So let’s trust the government and take them at their word. There is more fuel circulating now in the Australian economy than there was before the crisis.

Andrew Clennell

You don’t believe that’s the case? Do you not believe that’s the case? Hold on. I just want to be very clear on this. Do you believe there’s not enough supply, and that’s a, that’s a that’s a factor in this? Do you believe that right at this moment?

Senator Cash

Well, I have to take the government at their word. They are the ones with the detailed information in relation to how much fuel is in the country. But more than that, that granular detail about where the fuel is at any point in time. We have consistently said if the supply is there, as the government for four weeks, has told the Australian people, you have a very, very simple thing to do. Minister Bowen, pick up the phone to the companies you now know where those 600 fuel stations are, or the servos are, get the fuel to where it needs to be. Which also raises the issue of logistics. Is the government saying there’s a logistics problem on the ground in Australia? Well, if there is, bring in the logistics experts. This is what they do each and every day. They get things from A to B. So we have a simple message, Andrew, for the government, slash the tax and move the fuel.

Andrew Clennell

I mean, we all bought toilet paper at once, right? And then you couldn’t buy it. Is it possible? This is what’s happening.

Senator Cash

I think when you see in particular, people in rural and regional Australia topping up that additional time, it’s because Andrew, they have lost confidence in the government. They are being told by the government. A, there was no crisis. B, Australians were then to blame. And C, consistently, there is no supply issue. But the problem in particular in regional and rural Australia. And I come from WA, I’m talking to farmers, believe you me they are turning up to the bowsers, and what they are seeing with their own eyes is fundamentally different to what the government is saying. So yes, you do top up that extra time when you have lost confidence in your government. The only people that can restore confidence, Andrew are the government themselves. Slash the tax, move the fuel.

Andrew Clennell

What do you think will happen at Easter?

Senator Cash

Oh, I can already tell you that. I mean, I’ve been talking to people now for weeks. You know, what do Western Australians do at Easter? They take their kids often down south to Bunbury, to Busselton, to Esperance, down to Albany. They’re gone. Caravan parks will tell you that people have been phoning them now to cancel their holidays. People are worried about the price. Hence why we’ve said we’ll work with you tomorrow. Bring in the legislation. We will pass it. Let’s slash the fuel tax. But more than that, they are now worried that they’ll get halfway to their destination, they’ll need to top up, and despite the government saying supply is not an issue, they’ll rock into a servo that says we’re closed for business, as we’re now seeing around Australia. So I was really surprised with Murray Watt’s answer to that we want Australians to travel at Easter. You tell me, Andrew, how, in God’s name, are mum and dad Australia, who for four years have been smashed by a cost of living crisis, who’ve recently had an interest rate rise, whose energy bills are out of control, who are now literally paying in excess of $3 a litre at the bowser, who don’t know if their servo is going to be open. You tell me, how do they travel at Easter? Murray Watt was living in fantasy land by saying to Australians, the government says, take a holiday. They can’t afford to, and even if they could, they don’t know if the fuel is going to be there.

Andrew Clennell

Is there any concern, from the opposition’s point of view, that the excise cut can fuel inflation, actually fuel inflation?

Senator Cash

No, no. And we’ve been very upfront in that it’s around $1.5 billion – we’ve written to the government, we’ve said, please work with us to do this. As I said, you can bring in the legislation tomorrow. We have put forward savings measures to the government to ensure that it is well and truly offset. But more than that, the 2022 experience when this occurred temporary, targeted relief shows it actually has the opposite effect, because it brings prices down across the economy. So it’s temporary, it’s targeted, and experience shows, no, it’s not inflationary. In fact, it brings inflation down.

Andrew Clennell

Just briefly. Is it time to encourage more people to work from home?

Senator Cash

Well, obviously, again, it goes back to, you keep raising these issues, but I go back to what the government is telling Australians: supply is not an issue. So if supply is not an issue, the government is fundamentally failing Australians on the ground by not ensuring that the fuel is getting to where it needs to be. I think, sadly, Australians will make their own decisions in relation to working from home. Why? Because they actually can’t afford to fill up their car. It’s not going to be because they want to necessarily. It will be because, under this government, as I said, cost of living crisis for four years, interest rate rise number 14, energy you know, power bill prices, the cost of food when you walk through the checkout. But on top of that, now you’re being smashed at the bowser.

Andrew Clennell

During the week, I interviewed your opposite number, Michelle Rowland, first law officer, admitting she did the wrong thing on travel expenses. (Interview replayed). What do you make of that McCarthy cash?

Senator Cash

It was quite an extraordinary interview, because obviously, Ministers of the Crown are held to an incredibly high standard. The Australian public have to account for every cent that they spend. So should Ministers. That interview unfortunately for the Attorney General raised more questions Andrew than it did provide answers. If you admit to misusing taxpayers’ money and you have to pay it back, as was this case, I think she said it was around $10,000 then Australians are entitled to a full explanation as to what actually occurred. That there was a misuse and B, what was the repayment for? You can’t hide behind IPEA advice, that’s just administrative advice. These are the rules. This is what I did.

Andrew Clennell

Let me just clarify this. The Attorney says there’s something called private advice from IPEA to her. Is it your view that’s not private advice, but she can reveal what that’s about.

Senator Cash

She can absolutely. There is no privilege associated with this advice. It’s administrative advice that you seek from the body that oversees parliamentary entitlements. It is absolutely within the Attorney General’s discretion to show the Australian people that advice. In fact, she doesn’t need to show them. She can just tell them. As I said, the issue that I have is Ministers are held to a higher standard. The Attorney General admitted to you she was in breach of the rules and she needed to repay the $10,000. Why not just be up front with the Australian people? This is why I needed to repay the $10,000. I thought it was an extraordinary interview, because I think after seeing it replayed there, you came away asking more questions about what occurred than you were provided with answers. So yes, the Minister still clearly has a lot of explaining to do.

Andrew Clennell

I guess I could have sat there asking the same question for 20 minutes, but I didn’t feel like it. Now, during that interview, I also asked the Attorney about the position of the head of the National Anti Corruption Commission, Paul Brereton, and given he’s under investigation for an alleged conflict of interest. Do you think he should stay in his job?

Senator Cash

Well, I think the head of the National Anti Corruption Commission has a very unique place in Australia. Why? Because he is the person charged with ensuring integrity at the highest levels of public office. In other words, you’re the umpire, and as the umpire, you need to ensure at all times that people have full confidence in the institution over which you oversee. There is, as you say, an investigation into an alleged conflict of interest. Mr. Brereton and has chosen not to step aside. I understand from that interview that the Attorney General herself has actually written to Mr Brereton and to ask him certain questions. So what I would say is this: you are held to a higher standard because you are the one person in this country who is overseeing, or you’re ensuring the highest levels of integrity in public office. And Australians might be entitled to ask, do I have confidence in the institution? But at the end of the day, the inspector now needs to be allowed to carry out her investigation into what I understand is an alleged conflict of interest, provide those findings, and then we’ll see what those findings are.

Andrew Clennell

Well, the sooner, the better, by the sound of it. Now, Donald Trump, last week, attacked the Australian government for not doing enough to support the Iran war effort. Your colleague, Andrew Hastie, has been critical of Mr. Trump’s handling of the war. Where do you sit?

Senator Cash

Well, I think it was quite extraordinary that this is now the second time that the United States has actually raised this issue with Australia. Let’s be clear, here we are in extraordinary times, and Mr. Albanese needs to ensure that the Australian public have full confidence in the government and understand what is being asked of us by our number one security ally. The Strait of Hormuz Andrew, you may not have heard of it four weeks ago, but I think, as an Australian now, you know the importance of it to our own national security. So you have the Prime Minister saying one thing. You have Richard Marles saying..

Andrew Clennell

What about what Andrew Hastie is saying?

Senator Cash

Well, you know, Andrew is entitled to his opinion. I focus on the government. The government in these times needs to be absolutely upfront with the Australian people, and at this point in time, we don’t know what’s being asked of us and why. We really don’t know what our response has been. You’ve got the Prime Minister saying one thing, you’ve got the Deputy Prime Minister saying another. At all times during a crisis like this, the one thing you need to be is up front with the Australian people, so that they have confidence in you, and sadly, that confidence has been eroded.

Andrew Clennell

I’m out of time. I’m still going to ask you one last question. The Social Media ban for under 16’s isn’t working briefly, please. What should the government do?

Senator Cash

Briefly – be upfront with the Australian people. Parents are entitled to know why it’s not working and what the government’s going to do. You don’t sneak regulations through on the dead of night in response to litigation to try and improve the system. We all want to see this work. If it’s not the government now needs to be upfront with the Australian people, as opposed to just lauding the fact that they did it. It’s not working. Be upfront with the Australian people, and let’s work together to get a better outcome.

Andrew Clennell

Michaelia Cash, thanks so much for your time.

Senator Cash

Great to be with you.