Let’s get more reaction now from Queensland, from LNP Senator Paul Scarr. I want to start, though, with Telstra. This major outage today, Paul — what’s your assessment on how the telco and the government have handled it?
Paul Scarr:
Well, I think there’s a lot of concern in the community, and I’ve been hearing that concern here in Queensland over the course of the day. It’s coming from all different sectors of the community, including small business owners and everyday residents. People are really concerned about what is going on and how the government is responding.
We’ve also heard very concerning reports about people being unable to get through to Triple Zero and, of course, that’s probably the most important concern of all.
Interviewer:
It certainly is. Today, while this was all developing, we saw Barnaby Joyce and your leader, Angus Taylor, speculating that China could be behind it. Have a look.
[“Don’t want to be paranoid or conspiracy theorists, but we know there is the capacity for China to affect that sort of software, and I can understand why Australians are drawing that connection.”
“Now, I don’t know whether there’s any connection or not. I have no idea.”]
As of today, there is no current evidence to suggest that is the case, apart from two parliamentarians going off half-cocked.
Wasn’t it a little irresponsible to be speculating that it could be China’s fault before we actually knew?
Paul Scarr:
I think it is important for us to take the time to work out the reasons underlying this outage. We had the outage last year, in 2025, and there were technical reasons for that outage. It had devastating consequences for people trying to use the Triple Zero network.
So I think it is important that we get the facts clear and that Telstra is held to account in accordance with the laws we have in place.
Interviewer:
We’ve seen Pacific diplomacy in full swing this week. The Prime Minister has been able to secure another alliance in the region with this big deal with Fiji. Do you give credit to Labor for strengthening Pacific ties at a time when China is trying to gain a stronger foothold?
Paul Scarr:
I think this is incredibly important, and both the Morrison government and the current government have been taking steps to strengthen those ties with our Pacific family.
I lived and worked in Papua New Guinea for over two years, so I feel extremely passionate about this issue. The agreements being entered into with Fiji, and also the agreements entered into with Papua New Guinea, are extremely important in terms of protecting our strategic interests in the Pacific region.
So I think these are positive steps, and I do welcome them.
Interviewer:
I wanted to speak more broadly, Paul. I know you’ve done a lot of outreach during your time as a senator to multicultural communities, and you’ve been trying to strengthen ties as an LNP senator with those groups.
What did you think when you heard Pauline Hanson call for a monoculture?
Paul Scarr:
I just thought it was such a negative, miserable concept and speech that doesn’t reflect the reality of modern Australia.
I work with everyone in our community, including our Pacific diaspora communities — our Samoan, Tongan and Papua New Guinean communities. They are wonderful communities, and people are so grateful to be in Australia. Many work incredibly hard — in their day jobs, in community organisations and supporting their families. They’re contributing positively to our country every day.
I thought it was such a negative take on modern Australia, and it impacts people in those communities. We need to be far more positive.
We’ve just seen our amazing Socceroos. What a great story they are. People have come from all over the world to Australia — some born here, others arriving on humanitarian visas — all putting on the green and gold and playing for Australia. There’s a lot to be proud of, and I think people can be a bit too negative.
Interviewer:
As your Coalition colleagues do a lot of soul-searching about how to recover your position with voters, is your message that the party should embrace multicultural Australia? Or, in a contest with One Nation, is “multiculturalism” not a word you’d advise colleagues to use?
Paul Scarr:
Well, Australia is a multicultural country. We’ve always been a multicultural country. There were hundreds of languages spoken in this country before European settlement, so multiculturalism is simply the reality.
We do need to have serious discussions about the rate of immigration, and certainly net overseas migration remains consistently too high. It isn’t supported by our infrastructure or housing supply, so we need to have that discussion.
But Australia has prospered because of migration, and we need to recognise that. I thought Paul Hogan’s response to Pauline Hanson’s speech was better than any response I could give. He spoke about his own experience working on the Sydney Harbour Bridge alongside people from all over the world and how they worked together. I think that’s a great example for all Australians.
Interviewer:
Paul, why do you think Angus Taylor isn’t cutting through with voters?
Paul Scarr:
I think Angus needs to be given time. He took the leadership in very difficult circumstances.
Interviewer:
Clearly he didn’t give Sussan Ley much time.
Paul Scarr:
Well, we’ve got to look forward, Trudy. We always have to look forward. I think Angus has the full support of the Coalition team, as does Matt Canavan, and they need to be given time.
As we roll out more policies — such as the Tax Back Guarantee and the indexation of income thresholds — and continue holding the government to account on issues such as allied healthcare for veterans, I think voters will start to take notice.
And congratulations on your interview with Matt Keogh. You were right to point out that around 25,000 veterans will be impacted by that change. I’ve had many veterans contact my office expressing concern, particularly about the process they’ll have to go through to obtain approval above that $5,000 cap. How long is that process going to take?
I think Phil Thompson is a great example of pursuing the sorts of issues we need to pursue as a Coalition. If we keep doing that, and if we remain united, I think you’ll start to see a change.
Interviewer:
LNP Senator Paul Scarr, really appreciate your time. Thank you.
