TRANSCRIPT: INTERVIEW WITH NBC AMERICA, 12 JULY 2024
SUBJECTS: Colin Bettles
E&OE
STARTS: 7:59am AEST
ENDS: 8:26am
GIA VANG:
Can you give us your first, and last name and your title?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Michael McCormack, Federal Member for Riverina. So, that's like the House of Representatives– the Congress equivalent in Australia. I was the equivalent of the 7sident; I was the Deputy Prime Minister for three years between 2018 and 2021. During which time I employed Colin Bettles. He worked for me in 2018-19. I had already known him as a journalist. I am the Shadow Minister, so that's in the Opposition – for International Development and the Pacific.
GIA VANG:
So tell us a little bit about Colin, I mean, you said you had known him for a very long time, and you consider him a very close friend.
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, he's a close friend of mine and we play a lot of cricket together. We open the batting for the Parliamentary cricket team. We've played cricket in England, we've played cricket at one of the most famous venues in Australia, the Sydney Cricket Ground. He was a journalist for many, many years, I employed him when I became the Deputy Prime Minister and then in recent years, he's been the Chief Executive Officer of the Grain Producers Australia, which is an organisation which is very prominent throughout rural and regional areas of Australia. Indeed, it does a lot of work overseas to ensure that our grain trade can be the best it can be on world markets.
And when Colin speaks Canberra, Australia's capital listens. He's very well respected, very widely known, right across Australia and indeed abroad.
GIA VANG:
Can you talk a little bit about if you knew why he was coming to the States, what was he doing here? What was he doing specifically in the Bay Area?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
He stopped by San Francisco. He was on a work trip; he was headed to New York and then later to Canada on a two-week working trip for Grain Producers Australia. He was meeting up with colleagues and acquaintances across North America to talk grain, talk Australian farming to make sure that we could develop even more markets – that's what Colin does, and he does it very well.
GIA VANG:
Specifically in the Bay Area, do you know why he was in San Francisco?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Yes, he was catching up with a couple of colleagues there, he in fact went out for dinner with some acquaintances in San Francisco at a pizza shop. Shortly after having checked in to the hotel, he went to that pizza shop to catch up, as arranged with some clients. He was due to head out to New York early the next morning, he had a 7.30am flight, which of course he didn't make. He didn't even make it back to the hotel. A little bit surprised that his luggage was just placed in storage and nothing was done about the car, which was still in the car space at the hotel. No alert was raised until his girlfriend, Dr Sue Acton, who is a well-known general practitioner here in Australia, a well-known doctor, she was in the outback of the Northern Territory, so she thought nothing untoward because she was going to be out of mobile service, out of cell phone service. And it was only when she got back on the Monday that she found out that Colin hadn't made his flight, his luggage was still in storage and wondered where he was.
GIA VANG:
When did you get the call that something might be going on here?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
So it was early Monday morning, which is the equivalent of Sunday, your time. Colin had been missing since Thursday night, your time – San Francisco time. So he'd been missing for four days. He'd been in the neurological ward of the General and Trauma Hospital in San Francisco with John Doe on his nameplate. His wallet and phone thought originally missing had in fact made their way to the hospital but had been separated from Col in the pickup of him which had been made at 11.12pm on the 4th of July, on the Thursday night. Colin had arrived at the hospital without any identification as such on him, it was in the ambulance, but the two weren't connected. So that was a bit of a shame, but indeed Sue rang me, she was in a calm state, to begin with, but 10 minutes later she was very upset, very emotional because of course the penny had dropped that Colin was missing and no-one really knew where he was, and of course, we feared the worst.
GIA VANG:
At that point, hearing someone that you care about, obviously, whose loved one is very concerned and not having heard from in a couple of days, what were you starting to think as a friend?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
I thought the worst. I thought, well we need to find him one way or the other. We need to find him. You hear these stories; it always happens to somebody else. But when it's somebody very close to you, when it's your best mate, you pull out all stops to make sure that you find out the truth. So I phoned the Foreign Affairs Minister here in Australia, Senator Penny Wong, I phoned the Australian Federal Police, I phoned the hotel, I started to do the ring around myself, but fortunately Australian Consulate Officials, they went hospital by hospital, ward by ward and they located Colin. I must say Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, the American Ambassador here in Australia her Embassy reached out to me, so everybody was on the lookout for Colin. Thankfully we found him, it was late Monday night, our time. The relief was palpable when we found out that, yes, he wasn't well, but at least we knew that he was in hospital getting the best of care. He's got a deep gash on the back of his head, which had required stitches. He's got a broken left eye socket and he's got bruising on the inside of his arms, consistent the police say, with being stomped on. So he's obviously been assaulted, it's a terrible situation, it just goes to show that when you are travelling, you can't be too careful. But fortunately, we know where he is, he’s being treated well, and we just look forward to getting him home.
GIA VANG:
To clarify Michael, was he in a coma for a couple of days? I understand he is not right now.
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Five days in an induced coma, that's a long time, that's a severe head injury. You know, he's obviously been struck either from behind and he's fallen face down or he's been struck from the front, and he's fallen to the back. Then obviously with the bruising on the inside of his arms, as police say he has then been jumped upon. So it's an awful situation, you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. But, you know, he's heavily sedated, he's under some quite severe medication at the moment. I doubt whether he'd be able to even remember anything that happened, given the extent of his injuries.
GIA VANG:
And I understand now that he's now out of this induced coma.
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Yes, he's out of the intensive care unit, he's out of it. We've identified the fact that the ambulance in San Francisco picked him up on Market Street at 11.12pm. We're now going to try to find closed-circuit television footage if there is any existing so that we can find out precisely what happened and potentially even who did it.
GIA VANG:
Did he come out of this induced coma, out of intensive care?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Yes, he came out of it. But like I say, he's still under heavy sedation, he’s very groggy.
GIA VANG:
Was that yesterday that he came out of the coma?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
It was two days ago. Yeah, so it's been a little bit more than a week now since the incident. So he was out for five of the last seven days.
GIA VANG:
So are you working directly with San Francisco Police here?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
The Australian Federal Police. And we've got a very good fellow on the job. He is a great investigator; he will not stop until he gets the answers that he's seeking. The Police Department have been very, very good, particularly when the US Embassy and Ambassador Caroline Kennedy made indications that they too would do everything they could to help in this situation. She carries a bit of weight, Caroline Kennedy and it's just not a good situation. I mean Australia and America, we're great friends, no closer allies than the two nations. And you don't like these sorts of things to happen because it doesn't speak volumes of travelling abroad. You should be safe when you go to the United States of America. It just goes to show you can never be too careful, don't walk alone, particularly at night. Stay in lit areas, let a loved one know your travel plans and indeed have that identification with them so that if things do go wrong, then it's easier to track than if you've told no one or not shared details with people back home.
GIA VANG:
So is your understanding he might have been walking back to his hotel room by himself, not with the colleagues that he was meeting up with?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
That's correct.
GIA VANG:
I'm just curious, what is the consensus or the thought about San Francisco from your perspective in Australia? I mean, what do people think about the Bay Area here? Here in the US, there are definitely opinions about it. So what do people think about it there?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, we like to think of the very best of America. We like to think it's a wonderful nation with people very much like us. But there have been a few people who've shared their anecdotal stories about their travels to San Francisco with me since this happened. I wouldn't say to people it's a no-go zone, I would never do that. Like I say, Australia and America are great colleagues and great allies. That will always be the case, no matter whether Democrats or Republicans are in the White House and whether a Labor or the Coalition are in Government here in Canberra. So, we like to think we're the best of friends, we have got AUKUS happening at the moment. I know when I was Deputy Prime Minister, I had a wonderful meeting with Vice President Mike Pence. You know, we are the best of friends, so I wouldn't like to denigrate or downgrade anything about San Francisco. But it's just a salient lesson to be very careful not to walk alone and to make sure that you watch where you go and give somebody your travel plans. I am surprised that the hotel didn't raise the alarm, and didn't alert authorities when Colin didn't check out. I am surprised that they just put his luggage into storage, his room was unused, the shower hadn't been used and the car was still in the carpark space – that that does surprise me. I'm not quite sure that would actually happen in Australia, I think that'd be, wanting to check for the hotel accommodation, you know that that does surprise me.
GIA VANG:
I have some questions about the ambulance and the separation of the wallet and identification.
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, the ambulance did the right thing, they picked him up. A good Samaritan has obviously alerted them, and they did their job, but unfortunately, Colin's phone and wallet went astray in the ambulance at the time. I mean they dropped him off at the hospital, his possessions were in the hospital but the two were separated, it's a big hospital. But you would think that given the fact that you had a fellow dropped off in a very bad state. He had no alcohol in his system, he hadn't been drinking or anything, so he was completely sober. I would have just thought that you know, they might have connected up the wallet and the cell phone with him. But look, it didn't happen, it was just one of those things that slipped through the cracks. But fortunately, we know where he is, he's getting the best of care, and we just look forward to getting him home.
GIA VANG:
And I know you said he's heavily sedated, so is there any way to talk to him right now or at least see him?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
I haven't reached out; his girlfriend has been doing that. She's a General Practitioner, she's obviously very worried, given his injuries. He had a couple of friends who visited him, one of his work colleagues and another acquaintance. They said he was barely speaking; I think that was because of the drugs that he is on for pain relief. So I haven't pushed the envelope as far as that's concerned. I'm hoping in the next few days to be able to call and to check in on him. But, you know, we're letting him rest and hopefully make a full recovery.
GIA VANG:
Any indication of when he's going to come back to Australia?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
His girlfriend says that it could be some time. She's obviously very knowledgeable in the medical field. We want to give him every chance to recover fully, head injuries need to be treated very seriously and they are. So, that could be a that could be some weeks yet.
GIA VANG:
Is there anything else that you would like to say, that you would add maybe that we didn't cover?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, he's just very much-loved Colin and you know he's quite the larrikin, he's a typical Aussie bloke. If you meet Colin, you instantly like Colin and you just wouldn't think that this sort of thing would happen to someone like that. Very affable, very outgoing, it's an awful situation, but thankfully it hasn't had tragic circumstances or consequences. We know he's alive, we know where he is, we'll get him home, we'll wrap our arms around him and will very much welcome him home when he does arrive.
GIA VANG:
Michael just because I have you, I'm curious, we will be hearing from Biden in about 15 minutes. We're not sure what this is about, obviously, there's a lot going on right now, if he will run and be the Democratic Party candidate. Any thoughts from your perspective, from your view watching this from Australia?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, it's big news here in Australia and look you like to think that somebody who's running for President of America, the President of the free world basically, is going to be articulate, going to be across all the details.
It's a strange situation that you've got two very old men running for President in a country as big as America – 350 million people. I'm not quite sure that would happen in Australia. I think you'd be you'd be put out to pasture a little bit before you reach that age. But look, the systems, whilst they're very similar, we run on democracies, they're very much different. I wish Joe Biden all the best, he's been a marvellous statesman for many, many years, and you don't like to see this sort of thing, let's face it, in the twilight of somebody's career. The Democrats have a big choice to make and so does Mr Biden, if he chooses to run, then good luck to him, and good luck to the process. We need to remain, obviously, very close allies with the United States. We've got a lot of Marines at the moment, US Marines in Darwin, in the Top End of Australia. We've got military bases here which have many Americans on them, who are always welcome here. The Pacific is a very contested space at the moment and given my portfolio responsibilities in the Pacific, I work very closely with American Defence chiefs both in Hawaii and elsewhere, to make sure that we can protect those areas of interest, very much interest to both of us. It's a troubled world at the moment with Ukraine, with the Middle East, I know America's working very hard with Australia and other allies to bring about peaceful resolutions right around the world. We hope that the American Presidential Election can be the best it can be, and that the right decisions and the right choices can be taken. I will very much wait with interest, no doubt as many millions of Americans will to see what Joe Biden has to say later today.
GIA VANG:
What would your advice to President Biden right now if you were in his Cabinet? Would you say you should run, or would you say maybe sit this one out?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Listen to those closest around you.
GIA VANG:
And I'm also curious, as you talked about this, if there was a potential new Trump administration, how do you think that would impact the US-Australian relationships?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
As I said earlier, it doesn't matter who's in the White House, we will always work closely with the person who is the President of the United States. Our relationship is too close and too important not to. We will always be best friends with America. We've served alongside them in World Wars past in many conflicts, and Australia is a very important geopolitical partner to all of America. You go to Camp Baird in the United Arab Emirates; Americans will tell you American servicemen and women will tell you that Australians are the best to fight alongside. They know our courage and bravery, we know theirs. We're very close brothers and very close sisters with our friends in America and that will always be the case. It won't matter whether Joe Biden is successful again, it won't matter whether Donald Trump returns to the Presidency. No matter who's in the White House, we will work closely with them, and we will be the best of friends.
GIA VANG:
Alright, spoken like a diplomat.
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Well, it has to be, and it is the case, it has to be the case. It's just too important not to. And you need when the world is in a troubled state, as it is at the moment, you need to know who your friends are. You need to remember who those are closest to you in past conflicts and who will be there alongside with the same ideals, the same principles, the same values in the future. That is America, that is Australia, that is, quite frankly, the United Kingdom. I know they've changed their Prime Minister as well, Keir Starmer taking over as Prime Minister just in recent days. But it doesn't matter who is in Number 10 Downing Street, Canberra or the White House in the United States of America. We will be the closest allies; we have to be.
GIA VANG:
Have you ever talked to Joe Biden?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
I have not.
GIA VANG:
Okay, but you have talked to Mike Pence.
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Mike and I were close, and I've got the I've got the greatest regard and respect for Mike Pence. I was sorry when he did drop out of the race, I think Mike would have brought a lot of calm and measured experience to the position. But I appreciate that polls, et cetera are one thing and American Presidential candidates follow them very closely. I get all that, but I'm not going to go and offer any free and frank advice to Mr Biden, I'm sure it'll make the right decision. But not just for and on behalf of Americans, but for and on behalf of the world.
GIA VANG:
I appreciate you letting me diverge on this conversation. Thank you so much for that. So, my last final question for you is, just to be clear, just to clarify. Colin had his wallet, and his phone taken, but how did they identify him? What did they identify with at the hospital?
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Australian Consular Officials went hospital by hospital in San Francisco, ward by ward. They found who they thought might have been Colin, they shared a photo with the Australian Federal Police. That photo of Colin in the ICU bed matched up with the photograph that I had provided to the Australian Federal Police, and they put one and one together and got two. It was Colin Bettles for sure and for certain. We're just thankful that he is alive. He's not well, but we'll get him better, we'll get him back to Australia, we'll get him back to good health and he'll have a story to tell on the future.
GIA VANG:
I appreciate your time, thanks for your insight.
MICHAEL McCORMACK:
Any time at all, always happy to provide some American-Australian analysis.