Television Interview, ABC News Breakfast

SUBJECTS: Investing in our Apprentices; Trump Administration; Australia Day 

JAMES GLENDAY, HOST: And Anthony Albanese is set to today announce a $10,000 cash bonus for apprentices who help build homes if his Government is re-elected this year. For more on this, his Deputy Prime Minister and the Defence Minister Richard Marles joins us now from Parliament House. Richard, good morning.

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Morning.

GLENDAY: You have a goal of building 1.2 million homes in five years. That's a lofty target which quite a lot of experts have always said would be hard to hit. Will this cash bonus really help?

MARLES: Yeah, it makes a big difference. I mean, it's really important that in achieving this goal, we've got the workforce there to do it. That is a key part of the building blocks of being able to construct these new homes. And this incentive, a $10,000 incentive for people working in the construction industry is going to make a real difference in terms of encouraging people into what is a fantastic industry and what will have lifelong well paid jobs. What we've seen already since we've come to power is half a million Australians take up the opportunity of Labor's free TAFE places. And I think what that says is that when you provide incentives like this, young Australians are grabbing them with both hands and we are very optimistic about the impact that this will have on getting more people into the industry.

GLENDAY: You've allocated enough cash for about 60,000 apprentices, but a similar scheme targeting green jobs initially only got a couple of thousand signing on. Are there enough apprentices who are going to be lured by this, particularly if they can get more lucrative work elsewhere in the construction sector?

MARLES: Well, it's really important that we're building skills. And I think the answer to that question is there will be, as I said, since we've come to power and put in place policies around having free TAFE, half a million Australians have taken up that opportunity. And I think that says is that when you provide incentives of these kinds, people do take up that opportunity. And this is a really great industry where there are lifelong well paid jobs and having a $10,000 incentive payment to go off and do that apprenticeship, get the higher end skills in the industry is something that we really do expect young Australians will take up and that will be a critical part of what we need to do to have the workforce necessary to build those 1.2 million homes. 

GLENDAY: In the United States there's a lot going on, obviously. Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host, is Donald Trump's unconventional pick to lead Defense. He's faced a number of accusations about his personal conduct and also and questions about the depth of his experience. Do you think he is the right person for that job and is he the right person to work with you on the AUKUS agreement?

MARLES: Well, I look forward to meeting Pete Hegseth. Obviously we're waiting for the processes in America to play out, but I fully expect that Pete Hegseth will be endorsed and nominated as the Secretary of Defense. And when that occurs, we will look forward to having an early engagement with Pete Hegseth. We are very keen to be working with the Trump Administration on all the issues that occur within the Alliance. Defence is a key part of that and as you've said, AUKUS is very central to all of that. We've got a very big agenda in working with the Americans in respect of this and I look forward to being able to talk that over at the earliest opportunity with Pete Hegseth.

GLENDAY: I feel like there's going to be some substantial differences in the defence space potentially over the next few years. I mean, Donald Trump's vowed to take back the Panama Canal. He's also repeatedly expressed an interest over the years in acquiring Greenland. It's not clear how he would do this. We have to point that out or how serious he is. But how would Australia respond if he did it through force? Would that put substantial strain on our military ties?

MARLES: Oh, well, look, I'm not going to walk down that path obviously in terms of answering a hypothetical of that kind. What we want to see and what I'm sure we will see is ongoing American leadership in the world. American leadership has been so important in terms of ensuring that the global rules based order, which has been built up in large part with American leadership since the end of the Second World War, that the global rules based order is maintained. And that matters to Australia because as an island trading nation, we are deeply engaged in the global rules based order. It matters very much to our national interest. And so seeing an ongoing American leadership in respect of this is really important. And I'm sure that's what we're going to see under the Trump Administration. I'm sure that's what we'll see with Pete Hegseth’s leadership at the Pentagon, and I look forward to working with him in respect of that.

GLENDAY: Yeah, it is a bit difficult to answer hypotheticals, so that's fair enough. I'll bring things back home. There's a poll out today in the nine newspapers suggesting support for Australia Day has increased in recent years. Why do you think that is?

MARLES: Look, I mean, I think you'll see those poll numbers come and go over the journey. We live in a great country. Obvious we need to be sensitive to the history of Australia Day, but this is the day on which we celebrate our nation, and our nation is very much worth celebrating. And I look forward to Australia Day. I have engagements this evening around Australia Day in my electorate, which I've been doing for a long period of time, doing it with the local council. And I think you'll see Australians around the country celebrating our country and that's a very appropriate and good thing to happen.

GLENDAY: Does it have anything to do with the voice referendum, this change in support, do you think?

MARLES: I don't think so. As I say, I think you'll see these numbers wax and wane from year to year. At the end of the day, ours is a country which is worth celebrating. This is the day on which we do it. And that's what I'm going to be doing on Monday.

GLENDAY: Yeah. And finally, what are you doing for Australia Day, attending a barbecue? I was down in your electorate the other day, a lot of people out on jet skis. Will you take one of those out on Port Phillip Bay?

MARLES: That'd be a dangerous thing if I was to get on a jet ski. So, I think the people of Geelong will be happy to know that I won't be attempting that. But it is a day when people are out and about. Barbecues happen in Geelong, Eastern beach, which is a very historic area, is full of people and it's just wonderful to see and I very much look forward to that. Tonight at the council every year I announce the Geelong Young Person of the Year award and I'll be engaging in that this evening, which I'm again really looking forward to. It is a moment where we celebrate our nation, but we do so in the context of celebrating our local communities and enjoying our local communities. And that's what I'll be doing over the weekend and on Monday.

ENDS