Australian Prime Minister Radio Interview - ABC Radio 26 January
My name is Ross Solly and I'm very happy to say I've been joined here by the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. Prime Minister, welcome.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good to be with you, Ross. What an inspirational evening.
SOLLY: What an eclectic lot.
PRIME MINISTER: They were just incredible. And 33 nominees, because there was one couple got nominated, or a dual nomination if you like. So, every state and territory across the four categories. And to be frank, they could have picked any of them and they would've been worthy winners. But I think that the diversity of what we've got here, an astronaut as the Australian of the Year, this amazing Professor Brodaty working on dementia and doing extraordinary work in research. I mean, Nedd Brockmann I think inspired the nation to run across Australia.
SOLLY: I think it's the thousand kilometres that he did around Olympic Park.
PRIME MINISTER: That's right. Round and round and round.
SOLLY: That's what does my head in.
PRIME MINISTER: He said tonight in his speech that it took 20 years off his life, but I certainly hope that's not true. Obviously he's a very fit young man and a very worthy recipient. And Frank Mitchell. I mean, what a story. He was just telling me that when he was growing up, I mean, they didn't even have a TV. They lived in a very small town south-east of Perth with about a hundred people there, and he's putting Indigenous people into apprenticeships and giving them opportunity. Again, a wonderful story as a local hero.
SOLLY: And we ask a lot of our award winners, because for the next 12 months we want them to go out there and to represent Australia and to fight for what they believe in. They all step up to the plate, obviously. But we do ask a lot of them.
PRIME MINISTER: We do, and after the event tonight, just backstage before we did some photos, they were going through even the itinerary tomorrow where they'll all fly up to Sydney, there's a concert at the Opera House, and then in the next day they'll go through over the next week what their next year looks like. And all of them want to make a difference with these awards. It's not just, oh, thanks very much and we'll move on. I mean, Katherine Bennell-Pegg's speech about STEM and about inspiring young people to go into maths and science and to reach for the stars, literally, was, I think, an extraordinary speech.
SOLLY: I think all four winners tonight -
PRIME MINISTER: Every year.
SOLLY: - had a little message for the Government tonight. I think you better scout around and find some more money out there.
PRIME MINISTER: They always pitch up, but they're certainly all worthy causes.
SOLLY: You said in your speech tonight that you believe we have every reason to be optimistic about our future. Are we though? But are we though? Do you think we are? It's been a difficult summer. As I said, I think there are people out there now who are lacking a little bit of that optimism now, they're feeling that we've gone the wrong direction.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'll tell you what, hope's a much better characteristic than fear. And I think positivity and optimism is so important. And I'm incredibly optimistic about Australia's future. There's no country in the world you would rather be than us, with the strength of our democracy, with the assets that we have. Under the ground, we have everything that will power the global economy this century, with critical minerals and rare earths as well as our traditional resources. We have the best solar resources in the world, in the sky. And most importantly, we have our greatest asset, which is our people. Our people, connected with the rest of the world, our people with the commitment that they have and the drive and enthusiasm that they have as well.
SOLLY: But are our people getting on, Prime Minister? I mean, we've had to bring in laws to try and stop people hating each other in this country. I mean, 12 months ago, we wouldn't have thought that was necessary, but here we are.
PRIME MINISTER: We'll overcome that. There are challenges that the whole world is dealing with. The whole world is dealing with the algorithms driving polarisation through social media. The whole world's dealing with clickbait, leading to more dramatic headlines than actually the story represents. But overwhelmingly, we're a harmonious nation. We need to cherish it and not take it for granted. And of course that doesn't mean that there won't be issues that we have to deal with, but when we have an issue, we do deal with it. We don't just wish it away. And that's what the legislation that the Parliament passed last week was all about.
SOLLY: You mentioned social media, which has been a big focus this year, but also the clickbait and the role of mainstream media. Prime Minister, if you read the media, if you hear the media, they're saying that a lot of the blame being laid at your government, apparently, for us all not getting on at the moment. But do you think there's a role for the mainstream media to examine the way that they've dealt with all of this?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course there is, of course there is. And after there have been crises, what the country has done is come together. Came together after Port Arthur, came together after the Lindt Cafe siege, came together after the Bali bombings, New Zealand came together after the atrocity in Christchurch. And I think that quite often a slip into a political response isn't what the nation requires, that the nation does want to come together. And I saw that last Thursday. The National Day of Mourning saw, overwhelmingly, Australians participate. Australians were shocked by the events of December 14. It was an antisemitic terrorist attack targeting Jewish Australians. And that shocked so many Australians. But internationally, of course, we're in a period of turmoil and turbulence and we have a relatively stable system here in this country. And I think we have a democracy that - there's nowhere in the world, in my view, that is stronger. And the Australian spirit, even at that worst of times on December 14, we saw people running towards danger. We saw health people running towards their hospitals. I spoke with people who were out at dinner and whether they were police officers or they were nurses or health professionals, they saw something was going on and they just went to work to help their fellow Australians. And that's after of course, the bravery that we saw from people who attempted to disarm people who had guns with just their bare hands.
SOLLY: Yeah, I know I've got to let you go shortly, but tomorrow obviously is a big day. It's Australia Day. There will be anti-immigration marches around the country. What do you say tonight, Prime Minister to people who are thinking they might go out and join those marches tomorrow?
PRIME MINISTER: Have a look at the character of some of the people organising these marches. They seek to divide. What we need is more unity, less division. What we need is more hope, less fear. What we need is a positive agenda going forward. And unless you are a First Nations person, then you are either a migrant yourself or a descendant of one in this country. And overwhelmingly, people have come here to make a better life for themselves and their families. The Australian covenant is that if you have any hatred or prejudice, you leave it in the customs hall. And people here need to show respect for each other. And I think that is absolutely critical as we go forward. So, I think tomorrow is a day for me, Australia Day is a day in which we reflect on where we've come from. We reflect on the privilege we have of sharing the continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth. But we also reflect on the fact that generations of people have come to this country to make a better life for themselves and to contribute.
SOLLY: If there are hundreds of people who turn out at these rallies at different cities, do you think there'll be a message there for you as a government?
PRIME MINISTER: People have over a period of time - there's always been elements in society that were opposed to any migration.
SOLLY: Is there a discussion that should be had about levels of immigration?
PRIME MINISTER: But we do. But we do and we've halved the levels of migration. But after COVID, when you had a closed border, it's not surprising that when the border opened, one of the things that happened was Australians came home who couldn't get home at that time. And so there was always going to be, as happened around the world, a bump. There was more people went into Western Australia as well, which of course was closed off for the rest of Australia for a while. But people need to recognise as well that some people are entitled to raise policy issues including migration. But for people who say your lot in life is because someone who doesn't look like you, that's not the Australian way. And when I go into any primary school or childcare centre, what I see is little kids who just see other human beings. They don't see colour or religion or anything else. And overwhelmingly those issues are, I think, what do make us the best country on earth. My local electorate there at Marrickville is a very diverse place and we're enriched by that diversity.
SOLLY: Prime Minister, great catching up with you. The Australian of the Year is waiting to pop in and have a chat to us.
PRIME MINISTER: Well that's pretty important.
SOLLY: Thank you, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much.
SOLLY: Well done on another great night tonight. And yes, so looking forward to some of those events tomorrow here in the National Capital. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you.
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/radio-interview-abc-radio-0
View Original | AusPol.co Disclaimer