Let’s go to my next guest and it should be Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese. Prime Minister, good morning to you.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Steve. I hope you’re enjoying the new gig.
AUSTIN: I am enjoying the new gig. Where are you at the moment, PM? Are you in Canberra? Are you in Sydney? Are you in a lineup waiting to go and see Taylor Swift or something?
PRIME MINISTER: I am in Sydney on the way to my electorate where we’re announcing a new Medicare champions awards to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Medicare. So, I do try to do things in my electorate when possible. This week I’ve been in Perth, WA, I’ve been in Newcastle, I’ve been in the Central Coast. But it’s going to be very good to be back in the Inner West this morning.
AUSTIN: Do you get to keep the frequent flyer points? Do you get to keep the frequent flyer points?
PRIME MINISTER: No politician gets to keep their frequent flyer points. And I’d be very glad and look forward to never getting on a plane again, I would say, but it is part of the job. I’ve been, of course, up to tropical North Queensland, twice, because of the floods and cyclones and the impact there.
AUSTIN: Let me ask you about that. Let me ask you about Far North Queensland. I can tell you that way up in Cape Tribulation where there’s a whole lot of Queensland tourism businesses, they’ve got a real problem up there, Prime Minister, and maybe you can help. There’s a major landslip up there. It’s cut off the road. The Douglas Shire Council doesn’t have the equipment and the engineer team available at hand to really fix up the mountainside and open that road up so that the tourists can get all the way up to Cape Trib. I think you sent soldiers up there a while back to help out, but they actually need some serious sort of engineering, road rebuilding development, and I don’t even think the State has all the resources available. Are you able to help those people up in Far North Queensland, up in Cape Tribulation area anymore at all, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have provided whatever support has been requested of us both to the local council. I met with the Mayor, indeed travelled on a chopper, seen firsthand with him and the Premier, Steven Miles, to look at the landslides that occurred right up the coast. We travelled from Port Douglas up to Wujal Wujal, which is an Indigenous community up around the Cape Trib area.
AUSTIN: So, if they asked, would you consider helping them more? Because they’ve got a major engineering headache up there.
PRIME MINISTER: When there is assistance requested, the Commonwealth has always made ourselves available, including, of course, the Australian Defence Force. I’ve got to say that together there was a remarkable effort done to reopen roads up there and to reopen access. Of course, there were major landslides that we saw. It’s incredible that there wasn’t a very large loss of life, really, given the scale of the disaster which is there.
AUSTIN: My guest is Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. I’d like to ask you a couple of personal questions. First of all, do you have a wedding date yet, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: We certainly don’t, because, as I just explained, ever since last Wednesday night, Valentine’s Day, we haven’t spent much time together. But we’ll chat things through. We will work our way through that between us and then I’m sure people will know when the big day will be.
AUSTIN: Second time round for you. Are you nervous?
PRIME MINISTER: It is. I was nervous about asking, I’ve got to say, because we hadn’t had a discussion about marriage, but I was very pleased that Jodie quite clearly had thought about it and very quickly said yes. And we were both very happy. I’ve got to say, it took decades off my life. I felt like the next few days I was just so happy and so is she. And we’ve received well wishes from family and friends, from some other leaders as well, who I know. Joe and Jill Biden sent a lovely message, as did the Prime Minister of Singapore and the Prime Minister of Canada and New Zealand. So, it’s been very nice, as has been the response of the general public.
AUSTIN: All right, a couple of serious questions I want to get out of you. First of all, Queensland is currently reviewing what’s going to happen with the Olympic Games here. The review should be delivered in the next few weeks. Is your contribution to the Brisbane Live facility for the Olympic diving facility at Roma Street Parklands, is that still on the table from your Government?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what’s on the table is our funding that we’ve provided for the Queensland Government. They’re doing a review. And that’s appropriate to make sure that it’s all got exactly right.
AUSTIN: Will you consider giving more money if the review says we’re going to need more money because of inflation?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, our review is capped. What they’re looking at, of course, is value for money as well. So, they’re looking at the Gabba proposal. They’re looking at all the proposals. We will work through those things constructively. I think that the Olympics will be fantastic for Brisbane and for the whole of Queensland. Regional Queensland will benefit as well.
AUSTIN: You’re not concerned it’s being delayed again or the build has been delayed?
PRIME MINISTER: No, there’s some 19 projects as well that we’ve committed to providing support for, for the activity that will take place right around Queensland. From Townsville and Far North Queensland, right down to the Gold coast and to the Sunny Coast. It will be a great event for Queensland and a great event for Australia. The Sydney Olympics is still providing benefit for tourism today because it showcased Australia to the world. And what better state to showcase to the world than what is the tourism centre of Australia, which is the great state of Queensland?
AUSTIN: I want to clarify, though, I want to make sure, if the review by Graham Quirk asks for more money, because we’re starting to run out of time to build everything that needs to be built, will the Federal Government consider increasing the level of funds to assist the build for the 2032 Olympics?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, with respect, Steve, the appropriate timetable is to wait till you receive a review and then you consider it. Not to preempt it with commitments based upon not seeing the review. That’s why we’re doing it. And it’s a good thing, good decision by the Premier to do that. And we’ll work constructively with Queensland, with the Olympics Committee. John Coates has been a mate of mine for a long period of time. And I’m very confident. I was very supportive of Queensland making the bid.
AUSTIN: You still there, Prime Minister? Are you still with me, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: I am.
AUSTIN: Oh, your phone dropped out badly, then. My apologies.
PRIME MINISTER: Sorry about that.
AUSTIN: That’s quite okay. We lost the last part of your answer. I’ll move on. My guest is Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. Prime Minister, have you conquered inflation in Australia? It’s eroding the spending power of our money. It’s making things more expensive. Everything goes up as a result. Do you believe your Government has conquered inflation in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: You can never be complacent about these issues. But I tell you what.
AUSTIN: Have you done enough, then?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what good news is 4.1 per cent inflation, 4.2 per cent wages growth. So, we’ve hit real wages growth in 2023, much earlier than what was anticipated. That shows that our plan for people to earn more and to keep more of what they earn with our tax cuts is working. It certainly isn’t job done. We know that there are cost of living pressures on people that people are feeling. But we will work each and every day to make a positive difference.
AUSTIN: My guest is the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese. You’re bringing in more people, more migrants from overseas, to apparently fill the skill shortage that Australia has. But we have to house them, look after them in cities. I spoke with the Brisbane Lord Mayor prior to the news and he pointed out that the more the Commonwealth brings in people from overseas, the more that cities and councils have to provide the services, the community infrastructure to look after them. Are you considering reducing or pausing or winding back significantly the immigration rate into Australia, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have.
AUSTIN: Are you going to do it some more?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we are doing it, Steve. We’re putting in place a plan to deal with the mess that we inherited, where, quite frankly, the migration system was broken. People able to come here and then continue to stay for a long, long period of time. We’re cleaning up measures such as people coming for training programs that don’t provide real education and training, having a crackdown there to make sure that people who come here to study are actually in real courses, delivering real benefit. We have had a full assessment of the migration program because we understand that it was broken and that’s why we had this review. We expect the migration numbers to just about half over the coming period. And that will make a significant difference. Migration is important. And what businesses are saying is that they need migrants across a range of skilled areas, including hospitality. We’ll continue to work with business and with state and territory governments on that. But we want to make sure as well that we don’t have a system that is abused. And that’s why we’re put in place these measures.
AUSTIN: Woolworths Chief Executive, Brad Banducci, has resigned, as you know. He was asked about the former ACCC boss Rod Sims’ comments about supermarkets and pricing. Apparently, he described the supermarket sector as, ‘stunningly concentrated’. Would you split up the supermarket oligopoly in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, it would be a very big call to use that language.
AUSTIN: Are you up for the task, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what we’re not up to is, the Opposition Leader who wanted everyone who worked for Woolworths, all 200,000 of them, to lose their jobs by having a boycott.
AUSTIN: I’ll ask him those questions. I’m asking, you’re the Prime Minister, you have the power now.
PRIME MINISTER: No, we don’t have the power.
AUSTIN: You don’t have the power to break up the supermarket oligopoly?
PRIME MINISTER: No. What we have the power to do is to encourage competition and encouraging new entrants and working on ways such as, at the moment, there’s a voluntary code of conduct. What the ACCC are looking at is whether mandating, some form of mandating, is something that’s required there. We have that review. We had the review by Dr Craig Emerson. And we have as well the Senate inquiry. But what we’re not about to do is to walk into Woolworths and Coles, which is a concentration of power, and say, ‘You’re going to shut your business here and those people who work for you are going to lose their jobs’.
AUSTIN: No, you don’t have to shut them down. Just tell them to divest. Just tell them to divest. You don’t have to shut them down. Just tell them to divest.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, yes, you do. And we have a private sector economy in Australia and not a command and control economy. We’re not the old Soviet Union. So, we need to be very careful about the language that we use. And what we need to do is to put in place proper competition measures. That’s what the ACCC are looking at, constructive ways to go forward. And we will do that. And we’re prepared to take intervention measures in order to achieve that outcome.
AUSTIN: I want to ask you about rugby league. The Broncos fly out to Las Vegas today. How do you think the Broncos will go against the Roosters in the NRL open? And I think your club, the Rabbitohs, are taking on the Sea Eagles in Las Vegas as well.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I hope the Broncos win. I’m always cheering for anyone against the Chooks. So, I think that would be a good thing. And I know Adam Reynolds pretty well from his time with my beloved Rabbitohs. And I think he’s a great fellow. And he’s been fantastic for the Broncos. I think he’s been the best buy by any club in recent years because he’s really helped to nurture all those young Broncos coming through. And I’m sure Brisbane will have a very successful year this year.
AUSTIN: Are you at all nervous that all these rugby league players are going to the gambling centre of planet earth, Las Vegas, Nevada?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, South Sydney have made the very sensible decision to be based in San Diego rather than being based in Vegas. And I think that was very wise. And they’ll be travelling to Vegas just for the game and then out of there. I think it’s a wise decision. Look, I think it’s fantastic for the game. And I give Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo credit for promoting the game to the United States. I think it’s a much better game than American Football myself. It’s much more action. You don’t have to watch it for four hours to get three quarters of an hour of play. And the grand final last year, notwithstanding, I know that your listeners would be disappointed by the result, was just an outstanding game of football, outstanding athleticism. And the game has just got better and faster each and every year. And I’m really looking forward to footy kicking off this year.
AUSTIN: You’re not the only one. You’re the Prime Minister of Australia, did you manage to wangle tickets to the Taylor Swift concert in Sydney?
PRIME MINISTER: I am going to see Tay Tay tomorrow night. And I’m really looking forward to it. There’s a real buzz in this city. People are queuing up for hours to buy merch.
AUSTIN: Now, hang on, I have to interrupt you, Prime Minister. Her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, has just landed. Now, he’s a footballer. Who would you be more interested to meet, Taylor Swift or Travis Kelce?
PRIME MINISTER: Come on, that’s a no brainer. That’s Taylor first, second, third, fourth and fifth. I think she’s an amazing lyricist. And as you know, I DJ sometimes. And if you want to get people on the dance floor, just play Shake it Off, which is, I think, a really good message to women as well. She speaks about female empowerment, which is so important. I think she’s a really good role model. And she’s a very welcome guest in our country.
AUSTIN: Okay. When the parliamentary Mid Winter Ball happens in Canberra, I dare you, as Prime Minister, to put that on vinyl, Prime Minister. Vinyl.
PRIME MINISTER: It’s got to be vinyl, doesn’t it?
AUSTIN: Vinyl for the journos in Canberra and see who ‘Shakes it Off’.
PRIME MINISTER: They’re a raging group, those journos in Canberra. They’d just be going off, I’m sure.
AUSTIN: Are you thinking of calling an early election?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
AUSTIN: Not at all? Out of the question?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’m busy governing. We’ve got a Budget coming up in May. We have a lot of work to do each and every day. And I think our terms of three years are too short has been my long-term view.
AUSTIN: You would.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’ve thought that whether we’ve been in Government or Opposition. And of course, the Hawke Government tried to extend it to four years. That’s happened right around Australia, every state and territory government, around the world. There’s no other country that I know of has three-year terms. They’re all four or five.
AUSTIN: I need to let you go in a minute, but Australia’s Tax Commissioner, Chris Jordan, is finishing up in the role. But do you back banning work-related expense deductions while also implementing tax cuts, as suggested by Chris Jordan, the outgoing tax commissioner?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I back our tax policy. And our tax policy is to give every single taxpayer listening to you this morning a tax cut. And I think, together with wages rising and tax cuts coming through, then people being able to earn more and keep more of what they earn is very much our objective, because that’s how you lift living standards.
AUSTIN: Last time I spoke to you, you told me the last bit of vinyl you played was the Ramones. What’s it been recently?
PRIME MINISTER: You know what? It’s been a few things, but Angie McMahon’s album is absolutely brilliant. And I’ve been very much enjoying that.
AUSTIN: I’ll let you go. Thanks for your time, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much.
