THE HON TANYA PLIBERSEK MP
MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA
THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2025

TOPICS: United Nations General Assembly; Relationship with the United States; TGA advice.

LAURA JAYES: And joining me live now is the Social Services Minister, Tanya Plibersek. Tanya, thanks so much for your time. It might seem a bit of a strange place to start here, but I did want to start by asking you about that speech, in particular, that moment at the UN, because there's for years been a lot of criticism about what the UN does and doesn't do. That moment there and I think Mark Stone put it really well. It was an example of what the UN attempts to be in terms of this unifying force in the world. What did you make of it and what is the view, do you think, of the UN at the moment, right around the world?

MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, TANYA PLIBERSEK: Well, Laura, I think people would agree that the United Nations is not perfect, but it plays a really important role in bringing the global community together to try and tackle some of these big issues that are beyond national borders. Australia's involvement in setting up the UN with Doc Evatt, Jessie Street and others really focused on the idea that even the smallest nations need a voice in the global community. And we played a really important role in making sure that that was the case. You see that again at this United Nations session. Of course, it's not perfect. And the UN, you know, there's plenty of criticisms that you can make, but what's the alternative? We need the global community to come together, particularly at times, like we see in Gaza at the moment, in Ukraine at the moment, and say that the aggression of Russia against Ukraine is not on, must be stopped. The global community condemns it. About Gaza, we want to see peace, we want to see the hostages returned an end to the conflict, humanitarian access. The UN is the ideal place for the global community to bring that pressure to bear.

JAYES: One of the chief critics, of course, is Donald Trump himself. But him, in and of itself going there, making a speech to the General Assembly, does give it credibility I think. The US president, even though he criticises it, was willing to go there and make an address there, you know, complained about the teleprompter, now wants an investigation into the broken escalator. But that aside, he used his speech to talk about migration, called climate change a hoax, renewables a scam, and at the same time, our Prime Minister, your government, is completely at odds with our biggest security partner. Is that a problem?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: We've got a really strong, long, deep relationship with the United States. That doesn't mean we'll agree on every single issue. And we've always said that friends can disagree respectfully, particularly on climate change. We know that acting on climate change, increasing the share of renewable energy in our grid, making sure that cheaper renewable power is available for businesses and households in Australia. That's a win for Australia. That's an opportunity for us. This is this enormous global transformation that's happening. We've got to grasp the opportunity of that. And that's exactly what we'll do as a government.

JAYES: Does that make for an awkward Oval Office meeting next month at the White House?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Oh, no, honestly. Our relationship for many, many decades, where we have stood shoulder to shoulder in conflict, in times of peace, we've got a strong economic relationship, we've got so much in common with our societies. I think that transcends any momentary disagreement about the role of renewable energy in our energy grid. I think the proof is really in the pudding. Australia is one of the countries that's achieved the lowest tariff rates of any country. With the United States, we continue to have extensive dialogue at all levels. Our Ministers talking to senior people in the US Administration. Our country to country links are second to none.

JAYES: So, are you saying that it doesn't really matter, the PM to presidential relationship, we've just got to make sure everything else is solid?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: No, not at all. I think it's a very good relationship between our Prime Minister and the President. And of course that's important. They've had a number of very productive phone calls. You saw that they caught up quickly yesterday. There's a formal meeting planned. Of course that's important. But what I would say is that when it comes to issues like the President saying that he doesn't agree with our very strong action on climate change, that's something that we will just decide as a nation for ourselves. You're asking if there's a conflict there, I don't see that an issue at all. We'll make those decisions based on what's in Australia's best interest. That's exactly what we're doing.

JAYES: I mean, decisions made out of the United States, though, and their policy positions absolutely affect Australia. And other nations right around the world. Have to look at the wild autism announcement this week to paracetamol and basically had us, the Minister included, and health officials here, scrambling to allay those concerns and get special advice on it. What did you make of that?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, obviously, when the President of the United States says something, the world listens, and it is important for us to be listening as well. I think the Therapeutic Goods Administration very quickly reassuring Australian parents that the evidence does not bear this out I think that was very important for Australian parents. We know that if a parent has a child with an autism diagnosis, they often ask themselves, what should I have done differently? That's a tragic burden to put on parents who are, in many cases already being their child's best advocate, struggling to make sure their child gets the early intervention they need and the supports they need. We don't want parents to be worrying that they did something wrong during pregnancy and mums in particular. So, I think it was very important that the TGA came out quickly and reassured Australian parents.

JAYES: Just one final question on something in your jurisdiction that is NSW. They have a new police commissioner. Do you welcome the appointment? Do you have any concerns about it? You would have read about the controversy.

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Look, I wish Mal Lanyon the very, very best in what is an extraordinarily tough job. I've got every confidence that the NSW Government has done all its due diligence and taken the decision very, very seriously indeed. I want to wish Karen Webb, the previous commissioner, all the very best for the next steps in her career. She did a terrific job and I know that she'll continue to make a contribution. Mal Lanyon, good luck to him. It's a very, very big job and a very tough job.

JAYES: Well, I'm glad all the planes are taking up on time this morning. Tanya, I appreciate you battling through that. Certainly sounds like it. There's no issues this morning with any delays at the airport. We'll see you soon.

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Thank you.

ENDS