Interview with Monique Wright - Channel Seven, Sunrise

MONIQUE WRIGHT, HOST:    Well, it's been revealed this morning that Australia has quietly paid the United States another $800 million towards the AUKUS submarine deal, taking the total bill so far to $1.6 billion. Now, that payment comes despite Donald Trump's decision to put the deal under review. And, of course, our Prime Minister is still yet to secure that face-to-face meeting with the US President. For more, Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth joins us now live in Canberra. Thank you so much for being with us, Minister. Ok, so do we get that money back if the Pentagon kills this AUKUS deal?

AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS:    Let's be really clear. It's not surprising that the US is reviewing this, but we expect that this agreement will continue. It's been signed. It's a really important agreement, not just for Australia, but for the US and the UK as well. And so this was part of the schedule of payments that was always in place when we signed the deal. This is an arrangement that has been signed and we are committed to seeing it through.

MONIQUE WRIGHT:    Yeah, but if the US then increases the price of these submarines, we're already over a barrel here, aren't we? Because we've already committed $1.6 billion. Do we get it back?

AMANDA RISHWORTH:    Well, let's be really clear. It is in all three countries' interest for this arrangement to proceed. Let's be really clear, the US and the UK and Australia all benefit from the AUKUS arrangement. It provides us all better capability. So it is in everyone's interest for this arrangement to succeed. We have signed an arrangement, we’re committed to that arrangement, and we intend to see it through.

MONIQUE WRIGHT:    I totally hear you, just after a really simple answer. Do we get the money back if we don’t get the submarines, or if they increase the price and we no longer think we can afford it?

AMANDA RISHWORTH:    We intend to achieve the outcomes that we’ve already signed, where the payment is in line with that, and that’s what we intend to progress.

MONIQUE WRIGHT:   Okay. Speaking of quiet decisions, we’re being told this morning that the Prime Minister has lifted the biosecurity ban on US beef, is that right?

AMANDA RISHWORTH:     I need to be really clear, this is a decision by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. This review has been happening over a 10-year period, and what they do is make sure that we will not ever compromise on biosecurity. So what's happened here is over the last 10 years, there's been a review underway and what the department has now been assured of and feels confident about is that there are the right safeguards put in place. There's been significant scientific risk-based assessment here and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry are satisfied that there is no threat to biosecurity.

MONIQUE WRIGHT:    It's not unusual timing to you that this should happen now when we're trying to make these trade deals with the US?

AMANDA RISHWORTH:    The process has been in place over multiple governments, and the department has to be satisfied that the right controls are put in place and they are satisfied about this.

MONIQUE WRIGHT:    Okay, all right. Now, finally, this is very much in your bag, new legislation is set to be introduced later today protecting penalty and overtime rates for 2.6 million Aussies. This is very significant. We know that 70 per cent of voters say that this is important to them, so it was an election winner for you. How will these protections actually work?

AMANDA RISHWORTH:    Well, what this legislation will do is make sure that the safety net, which is our award system, can't be eroded. At the moment, there's a number of applications in front of the Fair Work Commission trying to erode the penalty rates and overtime of those workers that, really are low paid, rely on the award. And so what this legislation would do is protect those that rely on penalty rates, rely on overtime, because this often makes up a very large amount of their take-home pay. We think this is really important to put beyond doubt that you can't strip away penalty rates and overtime from our safety net system.

MONIQUE WRIGHT:    It can't be lumped in with their base salary, basically. It's got to be separated out.

AMANDA RISHWORTH:    Yep. That's right.

MONIQUE WRIGHT:    All right. Thank you very much, Amanda Rishworth, we appreciate it. Busy week in Parliament. Thank you.