TRANSCRIPT – Radio 6PR Perth

Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia

TRANSCRIPT

Radio 6PR Perth with Ollie Peterson

TOPICS: Coalition split, Liberal values, policy review

21 May 2025

E&OE

Ollie Peterson

As the fallout from the Nationals and the Liberals no longer being in a coalition continues today, I thought was a good opportunity to catch up with WA’s most senior Liberal politician, and still the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, the Liberals’ Michaelia Cash. Good afternoon.

Senator Cash

Good afternoon Ollie, good afternoon to your listeners.

Ollie Peterson

The divorce is on, the Liberals and the Nationals – is your heart broken?

Senator Cash

Well, we’re disappointed. I’m a firm believer that the Coalition is always stronger together. And in the first instance, what we now need to do though, is ensure that we hold the Labor Party to account. And that needs to be our number one priority. But at the end of the day, the National Party have chosen to walk away from the Coalition. But I’m a firm believer the Coalition can be reformed in the future. In fact, it should be reformed in the future, because we are stronger together. We need to fight the Labor Party, the Greens and the Teals, and it is not in our interests, nor the National Party’s interest, to find any new political opponents.

Ollie Peterson

How much harder does this make your job in opposition without the National Party’s cooperation in a coalition arrangement?

Senator Cash

Well, ultimately, I would hope that we can continue to work together, as I said, to hold the Labor Government to account. I mean, ultimately, this Labor Government now has the numbers in both the House of Representatives, and joining with the Australian Greens, in the Senate. So if we’re focusing on ourselves and not the Labor Party, the Greens and the Teals, then quite frankly, we are not doing our job by the Australian people. So in the interests of the people that we do represent, bearing in mind that, you know, 4.3 million Australians did vote one for the Liberal Party, you know, whether they’re in urban Australia or regional Australia, we need to ensure that we are representing them, and we are holding this Labor Government to account.

Ollie Peterson

Is it too early to start making big declarations like the National Party tried to, I guess, hold Sussan Ley, your new leader, to ransom the Liberal Party about those four policy platforms when you only just lost an election a few weeks ago, are all policies up for discussion and debate as you try and press forward?

Senator Cash

Well, it’s a really good point. We are just over two weeks post the last federal election, and we’re three years from the next federal election, so there is nothing wrong with taking a deep breath and reassessing our policies in light of what was a resounding election defeat, but unfortunately, the National Party, they wanted us to sign on as a pre-condition to any coalition agreement to predetermined policies. Now, all Sussan said was, agreeing to these policy positions was problematic, but not because the policy positions are wrong, given we may well land on a form of some of them, but rather she could not make captain’s calls on these policies prior to election reviews, discussions and consultation. So the issue wasn’t actually an argument over policy. It was an issue over process, and in particular, process in relation to discussions and consultations, and then policy formation following what was a resounding election defeat. And ultimately, our timeline as a party can’t be dictated to by the National Party. The Liberal party room has primacy on determining our policies, and that was the position that Sussan made clear.

Ollie Peterson

We had Bridget McKenzie on the program yesterday, and some of what she had to say, Michaelia Cash, in terms of the justification for sticking with those four policy policy platforms was this:

Bridget McKenzie

The regions returned all their National Party MPs, and we have a great policy basis on which to pursue the next parliament, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’ve been able to bring in three new members of our team and increase the number of women. So we’re looking forward to taking it up to the Labor Party on behalf of the nine million of us that don’t live in capital cities.

Ollie Peterson

So there’s Bridget McKenzie indicating that they’ve held onto all of their seats. The Liberals rightly held onto all of their seats Michaelia Cash, so is she justified, is the National Party justified in continuing to pursue the policy platforms that they want to see on the agenda?

Senator Cash

Well, as I’ve said, we didn’t have an issue in terms of an argument over policy. This was an issue over process, two weeks post the last federal election, three years from the next federal election, and we have had a resounding defeat. I don’t think there is anything wrong with taking that deep breath and reassessing our policies. Now you might actually come to the same outcome, but I think you do need to take that time. And I think the Australian people would expect us to take that time to reassess. And Sussan was clear. She’s not about to make captain’s calls on behalf of the Liberal party room. The National Party determined that they would not give us the respect in relation to our internal processes, and they chose to walk away. But the other issue Ollie was also in relation to the solidarity of shadow cabinet, so the Nationals also wanted National Party members of the shadow cabinet to be allowed to vote differently and againstLiberal members of the shadow cabinet in the parliament. I mean, I think even your listeners would understand that is just an untenable request. And what would the point of a coalition be if that was allowed? I mean, you can’t offer stable government and a stable alternative to the people of Australia if you have members of your shadow cabinet getting to pick and choose which decisions of the shadow cabinet they are bound by or not bound by. So shadow ministerial cohesion was not guaranteed by the National Party. And again, I think Sussan made the right call in not agreeing to that, but ultimately, the National Party made the decision to walk away from the coalition. To be clear, the Liberal Party, we’ve said we’re committed coalitionists, but not at any cost, and certainly not with untenable strings attached.

Ollie Peterson

Moving forward, nuclear policy is still going to obviously dominate the discussion. Everything, as you say, is up for debate. But do you believe that the nuclear plans that the Liberal Party took to the last election should continue to be pursued?

Senator Cash

I think that we need to continue to pursue cheaper, cleaner and consistent energy for the Australian people. I believe we should continue to be technology agnostic, which means that nuclear must be part of the mix. This is something obviously we do need to discuss in the Liberal party room. You may end up at a point where our policy is you lift the moratorium. I think that should be done. You ensure that nuclear is basically on par with any other renewable and then you say to the private sector, if there’s a business case, go for your life, as is the case. Say in the United States, where a number of the larger companies, and in particular the tech companies, they themselves now invest in nuclear energy. So for me, I’ve always been technology agnostic, but my commitment to the Australian people is to ensure that, as a Coalition, or now the Liberal Party, we deliver to you cheaper, cleaner and consistent energy. And one of the things that I want to ensure the Liberal Party does in the next parliament is to assure that we hold the Labor Party to account for the promises that they have made to the Australian people when it comes to energy. I mean, it is a fact that under Labor and the pathway that this country is going down under Chris Bowen, he’s been given the portfolio again, renewables-only policy. You have manufacturing now it is got – companies are making the decision they will not manufacture in Australia because of the cost of energy. You have 30,000 businesses that have – small businesses that went insolvent, you talk to them, many will say the cost of energy. You go and talk to any Australian, they will tell you the pain they’re feeling because of the cost of energy. So for me, my first duty – hold this Labor government to account. But more than that, our policy, it needs to be cleaner, it needs to be cheaper, and it needs to be consistent energy, but we should also be technology agnostic. So nuclear, in my position, opinion, must be part of that mix.

Ollie Peterson

The job is becoming a little more difficult without the Nationals. Sussan Ley – the right person to be able to still lead the Liberal Party?

Senator Cash

Yes, she is, and I think Sussan has done in the first two weeks an outstanding job in ensuring that she has stood up to the National Party. She has said to them, I will not be making captain’s calls on behalf of my party room. This has been a resounding election defeat. I think that the Australian public, and in particular those who did vote for us, but those who didn’t, who decided to switch their vote from Liberal to something else, that has resulted in a resounding victory for Anthony Albanese, would say, you do need to have an election review. You do need to discuss your policies. You do need to consult and you need to take the time to do it. But more than that, more than that, we need to ensure that we educate the Australian people about what our basic fundamental beliefs are. I think we have failed the Australian people in that. I think we need to make them much more aware of our values and our beliefs, so that you know those basic values based in freedom, the rights of freedoms of all people etc, freedom of thought, worship, speech, associations, smaller government, minimising government interference in people’s lives. And I think there is a lot of work to do. But first and foremost, there’s no point in crying over spilt milk, quite frankly. We lost the election. It’s as simple as that, but we are still the Opposition, and we have a duty to the Australian people to hold this Labor Government to account, and that is what my focus is going to be.

Ollie Peterson

Thank you for your time.

Senator Cash

Great to be with you.