Shadow Minister for Regional Health, Shadow Minister for Regional Communications - Member for Mallee - Transcript - News24 - Chris Kenny - Thursday 30 July 2026

‍

‍DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL HEALTH

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

‍

TOPICS:  Assault allegation against Special Envoy for Defence, Veterans and Northern Australia, Prime Minister’s leadership, One Nation proposal on ISIS sympathisers, ABC editorial policy

Kenny  

I want to go now to regional Victoria and catch up with the Shadow Regional Health Minister Anne Webster in Mildura. Thanks for joining us, Anne. I want to first up ask you about some trouble on on the other side, on the government side, with Luke Gosling facing charges now for allegedly assaulting the administrator, effectively the governor of the Northern Territory. Your response?

Webster  

Well, you know, this is now before the police. They are doing their investigations. It may or may not go to court, so we have to watch and see. I think, Chris, the big question is: What is the Prime Minister doing about this? Mr Gosling has a role as a special envoy. You know, he really ought to be ... the Prime Minister ought to be calling Luke to step down while this whole process goes through the channels and the processes that it needs to do. I mean, that's just, you know, it's really a test of the prime minister's leadership. That's the real issue.

Kenny  

Yeah, there's no doubt. You would have thought that you'd stand someone aside while they're, while they're ... from any ministerial duties, any front bench duties or significant duties while they're facing a charge like this. Of course, Luke Gosling denies the allegations. He pleads his innocence, and he's been on the record on that with our own, Matt Cunningham, when was this earlier this month? Let's have a look.

Webster  

Hey, Luke, did you have a run-in with the administrator on the weekend.  

Gosling  

We gave a. ...  

Cunningham  

Yeah, you didn't wait for me. That would have been nice. You didn't have a run-in with him?

Gosling

Nah

Kenny  

There you go, Federal Labor MP Luke Gosling. The allegation is an assault with the administration, the administrator, effectively the governor of the Northern Territory. Talk about the separation of powers. This one stretches the limits, doesn't it? Let's move on though to other issues, Anne. And I want to ask you about this proposal that's getting a lot of attention from Pauline Hanson and One Nation to put up laws that would make it harder for ISIS brides and ISIS fighters to come back into this country. To me, this hardly deserves any attention at all, right? Because One Nation are not going to get a private members' bill up. It's hardly going to get debated, let alone pass through Parliament. It's just an idea.

Webster  

Well, the fact of the matter is that the whole ISIS returns to Australia have honestly been given the red carpet by the Labor government. They're the ones that we should be holding to account for what they have done or not done, there's no transparency about it. One Nation have put up a policy, great, that's good, but it needs to go through proper parliamentary processes, including probably a Senate committee. But yeah, you're right. Is it going to pass through the channels while Labor is in control? I don't think so. Meanwhile, the Coalition has, of course, already been working on these policies to ensure that Australia, Australians are kept safe. We should not be having returned fighters, terrorists, brides of ...the whole thing. I mean, it's just it's outrageous. I think if we look back on this year, we will be asking ourselves why on earth did this happen?

Kenny  

Yeah, I think what is clear here, and this is very much on the government, it's very clear as the Coalition has pointed out that the government could have and should have done more to stop or at least delay many of these people returning to Australia, and secondly, the Coalition has said, "Let's sit down. We'll come up with some bipartisan laws to make this more difficult in the future, or perhaps keep people out permanently. And of course, the government haven't taken them up on that. So I think you're right. The focus has to be on the government and the way they've handled this, rather than all the excitement about a One Nation option. Just before I let you go, though, Anne, I'm pretty keen to get your thoughts on the ABC refusing to apologise to Gina Rinehart. I just find this astounding that they can't bring ... bring themselves, Hugh Marks or or Kim Williams at the leadership of the ABC to say no. This is offensive. This goes too far. This warrants a direct apology from the ABC to Gina Rinehart.

Webster  

Yeah. Well, I've been reading the commentary today, in between meeting a lot of my constituents, about this case and about the comments that have said, well, ABC holds themselves - apparently - to very high standards. Well, you know what? It's not evident that they do, and they have one standard for some women and another standard for other women, and their bias continues to be exposed on pretty well any issue that they choose to report on. The fact that they actually had that video go through their production team, producers accepted it, editors said, "Yep, let's put this to air,” is frankly astounding.

Kenny  

Yeah, unbelievable! Thanks for joining us, Anne Anne Webster. They're joining us from Mildura in Victoria's Sunraysia district.

‍