Topics: U.S.-Iran war

CHRIS KENNY: I want to get a Liberal Party perspective now, and we'll stay in Canberra and go to Dave Sharma, Senator Dave Sharma, who's a New South Wales senator and also the Shadow Assistant Minister for International Development. Good to, uh, talk to you again, Dave. Who's going to be the new leader of the Nats? Sprung a new one on you today?

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DAVE SHARMA: Uh, did, I was surprised, Chris. look, I don't know. I've seen a number of people who've put their names forward, and obviously I don't have a say in it and, and nor should I. That's for the National Party members within the Parliament to vote on in the caucus. And whoever their leader is, whoever they choose, I'm sure, they will be committed to a strong coalition and will work closely with our leader and the rest of the Liberal team to make sure we provide a strong alternative to this bad government.

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CHRIS KENNY: Well, speaking of your leader, let's have a look at what Angus Taylor had to say about this late today.

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[CLIP STARTS]

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ANGUS TAYLOR: I have found David to be a committed coalitionist as well. Um, and this is incredibly important because we've had a difficult time in the coalition.

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[CLIP ENDS]

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CHRIS KENNY: That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it, a committed coalitionist? He split it twice.

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DAVE SHARMA: Look, I think we've had a difficult time as a coalition as Angus said. And I noticed David Littleproud addressed some of that during his press conference today. Look, I think it's important here that we let those bygones be bygones and we just make sure that the coalition stays together and works together from here on in.

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CHRIS KENNY: All right, let's get back to issues I wanted to discuss with you before all this unfolded, and that is primarily the fate of the Iranian women. Five brave women have defected, uh, sought asylum in Australia. It's been granted to them. What assurances do you have with briefings from the government or otherwise that the others in that group, that Iranian delegation, actually individually got to make their preferences known? I'd, I'd hate to think that that any of them have been forced out of the country without having the opportunity to apply for asylum.

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DAVE SHARMA: Well, so would I, Chris, and I think it's very important that anyone who wishes to make a protection claim, an asylum claim, from the Iranian women's soccer team has the opportunity to do so. Now, I haven't been privy to any government briefings. It doesn't mean other members of the opposition haven't been offered them. I do welcome the fact that the government did process and grant these asylum claims quickly cause I think that sends a signal to the other members of the soccer team that there is a sanctuary here in Australia, that they will be welcomed. Obviously, they have to weigh up difficult decisions, some of them about the safety and welfare of their family at home. And I can understand that that's an important consideration. But I do think it's important that they be given that opportunity and that their, their minders, their political commissars that are trying to shield them from what's going on in Australia cannot be allowed to block out the opportunity that exists here for them.

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CHRIS KENNY: I've got to get your thoughts, too, on Anthony Albanese's deployment to the Middle East. You're a former diplomat, you're a former Australian Ambassador to Israel. We can understand his timidity, I suppose, but he's at pains to express that he is only there to defend Australians in the UAE and therefore, the citizens of the UAE as well, that he's not taking any offensive action against Iran. Why so squeamish? As Angus Taylor himself said, this is an odious regime. This is a fight that the, the US, Israel, and their allies need to win. Why should Australia be so squeamish about identifying with that cause?

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DAVE SHARMA: Well, we have a clear national interest, Chris, in, in not only helping our allies defend themselves from Iranian aggression, the UAE and others, but also, we have a clear national interest in seeing an Iranian regime that is either no longer governing the country or has been substantially degraded. I mean, this is a country that has exported war, exported terrorism, including to Australia, that pursues nuclear weapons, nuclear enrichment, ballistic missiles. It has been one of the biggest forces for instability not only in the Middle East, but in the world over the last four or five decades. And saying that we hope the US operation succeeds should not be a controversial thing to say in Australia.

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CHRIS KENNY: Yeah, spot on. Thanks for joining us, Dave. I appreciate it. Liberal Senator and frontbencher Dave Sharma.

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[ENDS]