Interview with Pete Stefanovic, Sky News 'First Edition' - Tuesday 7 July 2026

Shadow Minister for Regional Health, Shadow Minister for Regional Communications - Member for Mallee - Transcript - Sky News - Pete Stefanovic - Tuesday 7 July 2026

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DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL HEALTH

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

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TOPICS: China missile launch in Pacific, Australia's Pacific defence treaties, data centres, community benefit, comparison with Rewiring the Nation rollout, data centre water consumption

Stefanovic

Well, the fall out continues this morning after China launched a long-range missile into the South Pacific, just hours after Australia signed a security pact with Fiji that could well be joined by other island nations. Joining us live this morning is the Shadow Regional Health Minister, Anne Webster. Good to see you, Anne. What are your thoughts on this launch?

Webster

Well, it's deeply concerning, isn't it? I mean, having missiles launched anywhere near any of our island nations, our neighbourhood, is effectively what is happening, and China have made no apologies for the fact that they are continuing to build their military and taking over areas of our ocean. We are more concerned about what they do rather than what they say, and you know, good on the Prime Minister for signing a treaty with Fiji. The more we stand together, that is what's important. But China has made no bones, as you know ... anyone looking at this situation would be rightly concerned about China's behaviour and the timing. Well, you know, coincidental?

Stefanovic

Yeah, sure. And so, what can or should we be doing in response? So, just full steam ahead with these other security pacts, or does the language need to be tougher against China?

Webster

Well, this particular government has been soft-shoeing with China for some time, and you know, trying to keep the peace, and the fact is, if you have an aggressor as a nation who is one of our ... is our largest trading partner, but at the same time behaves in an aggressive manner towards our neighbours, we must as a nation, and a wealthy nation comparatively to our island nations, we must band together. We must show a solidarity together that says to China we're not going to be bullied, we're not going to be intimidated by their behaviour.

Stefanovic

And do you think you're getting - or we are getting - that solidarity from our island neighbours?

Webster

Well, you know, the signing of the treaty with Fiji, of course, is positive. Papua New Guinea, of course, we have ANZUS with New Zealand and the US. I think that the more we band together the better, but I don't think anyone feels quietly calm that we can sit back and assume everything's going to be fine with China.

Stefanovic

Okay, let's go to the regions, and the government may be forcing data centre companies to provide financial benefits to the communities that they operate in. How would you feel about that?

Webster

Well, in my electorate, and around regional Australia, we have had the Rewiring of the Nation. It has created so much furore. People don't want it. They don't want the transmission lines. They've made it very clear in my electorate, and yet - you know - the government continues to subsidise these often foreign-owned entities to plough ahead, literally railroading our communities. AI data centres, in my view, are no different, and when you look at buying the public, buying the public support with, you know, their social licence with football jerseys, or with, you know, a fence around an oval, which is the kind of donation that has been made in our regions, people are not happy with that. These massive entities are making a lot of money from taxpayers - from them - and meanwhile disrupting our region. So, I don't blame my regions at all, and I'll stand with my regions every day of the week, and I don't know that Albanese government is going to be providing the kind of pressure that these big entities need to feel in order to benefit the local community, and it's the local community that bears the brunt of all this, you know, it's intimidating.

Stefanovic

But if that local community stands to financially benefit in a big way, would that not be a good thing, given that data centres are coming, they're coming in a big way, and obviously, with all of our sunshine and all of our space, we would be a highly attractive option, as being proved by Anthropic at the moment, that wants to make Australia its second home?

Webster

Well, the fact of the matter is, they also require a lot of water. We don't have a lot of water, I mean, we have 70 per cent of our water down the Murray Darling Basin goes to the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, and so our irrigators are struggling with water prices that are going through the roof, and that will just be perpetuated if data centres then also come to take their - you know, pool of water, so to speak - because they'll be able to buy it, they've got the money, they will be able to buy it, which puts farmers offside, and yet even yesterday I spoke with a range of farmers who are really feeling the pressure financially, not just because of water, of course, there are other factors, and AI centres need to prove their worth in terms of affecting positively our communities. I just met with nine councils who have been putting this to the Victorian government : that we want to see genuine benefit. So, when data centres are saying, and the government is saying, well, you know, we'll make sure that there's genuine benefit for local communities, Let's see what it is, because our communities are not experiencing that.

Stefanovic

All right, Anne. Good to have you with us this morning. Thank you. We'll chat to you again soon.

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