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OLIVER PETERSON, HOST: Joining me now from Melbourne today is the Labor Federal Member for Perth and the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Patrick Gorman. Good afternoon.

PATRICK GORMAN MP, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE: Good afternoon, Oly. Good afternoon to your listeners.

PETERSON: How’s the ASEAN summit?

GORMAN: Look, it’s a real honour that Australia gets to host this summit, 50 years that we’ve been engaged with as ASEAN. So, it is pretty exciting here in Melbourne, we’ve got 10 regional leaders, some of our closest friends. I greeted off the plane, the President of Indonesia last night, these countries that are not just great tourism destinations, but they’re so integral to the future of the WA and the Australian economy at large. They are trading partners, they’re education partners, and you really feel that in the room. I’ve just come from an event with the Prime Minister, and you do feel that it’s a great opportunity for Australia to be hosting this summit.

PETERSON: When you say it is exciting in Melbourne, is Melbourne more exciting than Perth, Patrick?

GORMAN: No, no, definitely not.

PETERSON: Glad you didn’t take that bait.

GORMAN: Let’s be clear, Melbourne had to host the ASEAN Summit just to compete with us.

PETERSON: Yes, I like that. Are you going to advocate for the summit to be held here in Perth at some stage?

GORMAN: Well, we did just recently have the Indian Ocean conference in Perth, which saw a range of regional leaders. We have hosted the Prime Minister of Japan in Perth, we have had a range of visits. Obviously, we’ve got some questions about whether or not the King will be able to make it to Perth later this year. So I always put forward the case for Western Australia and not just Perth, but for the region’s too. Some of the most beautiful parts of our entire country. I’m proud to be an advocate for it.

PETERSON: Speaking of the King and his visit to Australia later this year, is that still going ahead? Obviously his health is a major concern and interestingly, when we spoke to Enda Brady, our UK correspondent yesterday, he made mention that, in fact, a little bit miffed over that side of the world. That we’re even talking about where the King might go when he comes to Australia because of, well, they don’t know about his health, Patrick.

GORMAN: Well, I think like all your listeners are, I really do hope that the King is able to have the treatment that he needs and a full and speedy recovery. What’s been what’s been clear for a number of years since the King took on the role is that there is a very warm and open invitation from Australia for when the King should choose to visit. Indications have been that that may be hopefully later this year. The worst thing would be only that Australia be under-prepared for that visit. That is why we’ve reached out to states and territories to get their suggestions. We want to make sure that should the King makes that decision. We are ready and I’m optimistic that will all happen later this year.

PETERSON: If he’s fit and healthy, is there interest from the WA Premier Roger Cook? Would he like to host the King here in Perth?

GORMAN: I’m certain that Roger is currently looking through all of the different suggestions of his very large governments and all of the ministers and MPs about what they think which part of their beautiful electorates they think the King should potentially visit. We will wait to get advice from Premier Cook about what he thinks would be the best case forward for Western Australia. But I’m sure there will be warm enthusiasm from WA.

PETERSON: So Perth could be there on the radar or Western Australia in general for King and Queen Camilla to arrive here in Perth. Would you support that 133 882? Should they visit WA and where should they visit if they come to WA? Where would you send the King and the Queen? If they were mobile and portable and wanted to have a bit of a poke around a bit of a look? Where should they go 133 882. Patrick while you’re in Melbourne this week? Peter Dutton is bringing a lot of his LNP team here to Perth.

GORMAN: That’s correct. I understand the opposition leader has seen the light he’s going to choose to spend more than just a couple of hours on the ground in Perth on this particular visit. I welcome that. Any Member of Parliament choosing to visit the great state of Western Australia should be warmly welcomed. But of course, I’ve got a few tests for the opposition leader. I think we’ve seen the prime minister be pretty upfront about his strong commitment to the GST deal. He signed it on a journalist’s arm. I think maybe if you’ve got the opposition leader in the studio there tomorrow, maybe you can get him to sign your chest or something?

PETERSON: I don’t really know that I want any of you signing any part of me to be perfectly honest with you Patrick.

GORMAN: That’s fair enough!

PETERSON: Do you get a little bit worried that the opposition might try and roll back on the GST deal. That every single pollie that’s ever represented anyone in the Australian parliament on behalf of Western Australia – obviously Peter Dutton from Queensland – but every single Western Australian politician ever has tried to claim credit for the GST deal.

GORMAN: Well, the reason I’m worried is because – let’s take it out of WA – when the eastern seaboard politicians are talking truth about each other. Scott Morrison said in 2018, that if Peter Dutton was elected as Prime Minister: The GST deal would be at risk. Malcolm Turnbull wrote in his book that when Peter Dutton within cabinet, they were considering this deal. He wrote that Peter Dutton was the one who was questioning it, muttering about whether it was risky or not. So, you know and that’s not a passionate Western Australian view these are hardened New South Wales Liberals saying that Peter Dutton questioned the GST deal. So that’s not me saying, and that’s why I’ve always been a little bit sKeptical as to what Mr. Dutton would do if he was ever let near the levers of power.

PETERSON: So you want the GST deal to be shored up by the opposition leader while he’s here in Perth. You said you had a couple of other tests for him. What else are you trying to examine him about, Patrick?

GORMAN: It would be good to know where this nuclear plant actually kind of rolls out? If he’s seriously going to spend 15 years and $66 billion building a nuclear power plant in Collie? Is that genuinely his plan for WA? I mean I’d like to see a little bit more detail there. See, see how that fleshes out. I want to see a further commitment that he won’t roll back the tax cuts that we got through the parliament last week, giving every single one of your tax paying listeners a tax cut. I’d like to say that you’re guaranteed not just for the next financial year, but for the financial years beyond should he have the honour of representing the Australian people as Prime Minister. I hope it never happens but again, there’s a lot of uncertainty when you look at GST, what’s going on with this nuclear plan? Tax cuts? I’d like a bit more certainty.

PETERSON: On the nuclear reactors, likely to form part of the coalition’s energy policy. Is that absolutely shut down from the government? Do you remain a little open minded when it comes to nuclear energy Patrick?

GORMAN: Australia’s role in the nuclear energy cycle, as it has been for decades Oly. That is that we provide uranium which we export to other countries that aren’t blessed with as much of the wind and solar and other assets that Australia has. Simply put every sensible energy, analyst tells us, Australia doesn’t need it. And it’s not the most cost-effective option for us. What we’ve got in Western Australia, the best sunshine resources, fantastic wind resources, that’s where all the private capital is already going. We should keep on that path, because renewable energy is cheap, and we can get it online quicker. These nuclear power plants that have been proposed. Now we’ve gone from small modular reactors, which is technology that doesn’t quite exist yet, in terms of the commercial market. Now we’re talking about large scale reactors. They take decades. They take decades to build. So, we’re talking about something that is not a solution for tomorrow. It’s not a solution for 2030. It’s a solution for decades into the future. That doesn’t make sense. What we’ve got, again, Western Australia has got great natural resources. Great wind, great solar. That’s where our future lies. That’s where the cheapest energy for WA households lies too.

PETERSON: Patrick, thanks for your time today. Enjoy your week in Melbourne.

GORMAN: Thank you, Oly.