SENATOR PENNY WONG, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE: Im here today to talk about Wyatt Roy, former Liberal Minister, a friend of Malcolm Turnbull and his latest shenanigans. I want to say this; Australias defence deployment in the Middle-East is a serious matter. Its not an opportunity for Liberal politicians to act out some boyhood fantasy. Mr Roy not only put his own safety in jeopardy, he risked creating a major distraction. If something had happened to him, if he had been kidnapped, a major distraction for our Defence Force personnel as well as our diplomatic staff. I think Mr Turnbull does have some explaining to do. He does need to tell us why Mr Roy chose to act so recklessly. And he needs to tell us whether there were any breaches of Australian law.
Now overnight Minister Bishop put out a statement. She said that Mr Roy had travelled into the war zone in northern Iraq in defiance of official advice. I would say this statement does raise more questions than it answers. Who in the Government knew what, and when did they know it, about Wyatt Roys trip. Did the Foreign Minister know? Did the Defence Minister know? Did the Prime Minister know? Did anyone in their office know and what did they know about it? Who paid for his trip? Who paid for Mr Roys trip, and importantly, in what capacity was he there?
He is described by the local commander as being a foreign public figure. Who was he representing as a supposed foreign public figure? Immediately prior to Mr Roys visit to Iraq Australias Ambassador to Israel tweeted pictures of him, as a former Minister, at our embassy in Tel Aviv. That suggests certainly the Department knew of this trip. When was Minister Bishop informed? When was her office informed? And what did they try to do about it? Finally, of course, will Mr Roy be interviewed by Border Protection upon his return to Australia?
JOURNALIST: So what kind of an example do his actions set?
WONG: They set a dreadful example dont they? Do people really think it is a good idea for a public figure, somebody who was just recently a minister in the Federal Government, saying to Australians hey, its fine to go on a little trip to northern Iraq. This is a war zone. This is serious. Its not a place that you go to act out some boyhood fantasy. I think its incredibly irresponsible of Mr Roy and if the Government knew about it and failed to prevent him from going then theyve got serious questions to answer.
JOURNALIST: Is it your understanding that he has done anything illegal?
WONG: Well thats a matter for the Government to tell us. We obviously spent quite a bit of time in the last parliament ensuring that we had legislation in place that dealt with people going to participate in conflicts. It is not legal for Australians to go to certain zones which are declared by the Foreign Minister. We dont know where Mr Roy went. I think those questions do need to be answered.
JOURNALIST: So, does there need to be a further investigation?
WONG: There certainly needs to be a set of answers provided by the Government to the questions Ive posed today and to a range of other questions today.
JOURNALIST: If it turns out that this hasnt broken any rules or that it wasnt illegal, should it be?
WONG: Sometimes you shouldnt need a law to exercise good judgment. And he clearly has not exercised good judgment. And it shouldnt take a law for a Government to stop one of its own former ministers from going. I think it is really concerning that it appears, he certainly was in Israel, in Tel Aviv, with the knowledge of the Department. It beggars belief that the Ministers office wasnt told about that and if they were they should have stopped it. It sets a dreadful example.
JOURNALIST: Where do you think would be a more appropriate place for him to spend his holiday?
WONG: He could come to South Australia, and have a holiday here if hed like. He and Marise Payne, Id be happy to show them what a great place this is, although they might want to wait for the rain to stop.
JOURNALIST: Just on another topic, Minister Pyne said they are going to be putting the ink on the final deal with the subs today. Whats your reaction to that?
WONG: Unlike Christopher, I and the rest of the Labor party have been consistently strong supporters of the submarine build here in South Australia. We want it to work. We are disappointed, as were all South Australians, it took a couple of years to hold the Liberal Party to its promise. I do think some of the things Christopher has said have been a little concerning, about the leaks of material relating to another submarine build and the implications for that. But we will always support the build of the submarines here in Adelaide and the best capability for Australia.
JOURNALIST: What do you make of the total blackout on Wednesday in South Australia and whats your take on the situation that caused that?
WONG: The kids got a bit nervous. I told them it was a candlelight party, so, that improved the situation. Its always stressful isnt it? Particularly for people who are elderly, people who are alone and people with young families. I want to say this though I think South Australians have been fantastic. My mums next door neighbour came over to check she was okay. We had people on our street making sure that some of the people who lived by themselves were okay. And that stands in stark contrast, that sense of community stands in stark contrast to the politicking that Mr Turnbull engaged in, that Senator Nick Xenophon engaged in. And maybe some of our politicians should take a leaf from our community.