DSR Summit: Marles interrupted by ‘very polite’ protester

Joint-capabilities

03 May 2023

A protester has interrupted a discussion involving acting Prime Minister Richard Marles during the Defence Connect DSR Summit.

The event, which officially opened at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney, is a gathering of the defence industry and the strategic policy community to discuss and explore the impact of the Albanese government’s Defence Strategic Review (DSR). Members of the public are able to ask questions directly to speakers through the Slido app.

You’re out of free articles for this month

Username or Email

Password Forgot password?

Keep me signed in on this device.

First Name

Last Name

Mobile

Organisation Type

By becoming a member, I agree to receive information and promotional messages from Defence Connect. I can opt out of these communications at any time. For more information, please visit our Privacy Statement.

Need help signing up? Visit the Help Centre.

Event MC Christopher Pyne was discussing defence policy with Marles when the unidentified protester shouted from the crowd of event attendees.

The protester said Australia should be prioritising public housing and hospitals instead of nuclear submarines (AUKUS).

The unexpected comment was addressed by Mr Pyne, who asked, “Why can’t we have both?”

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles added that, “As protestors go, he was very polite.”

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

or via LinkedIn.

Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Defence Connect a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Defence Connect as a preferred news source.

Tags: