Radio Interview – ABC Coffs Coast
FIONA POOLE, HOST: Prime Minister, thanks for being here.
PRIME MINISTER, ANTHONY ALBANESE: Good morning.
POOLE: Will you be getting special prime ministerial construction hat today as you walk around?
PRIME MINISTER: I don’t know about that, but I’m sure that there will be the appropriate safety procedures put in place. It will be great to be back on the North Coast looking at the completion really, the last piece in the puzzle for the upgrade of the Pacific Highway. When I was Minister a decade ago, of course, we did the Kempsey Bypass there to your south, and we did the upgrade up to Arrawarra, and the other upgrades to the north with the investment, which was, I think we put in $7.6 billion in the six years that we were in Government. Compared with $1.3 billion that had been put in in the previous 12 years, we really pressed the accelerator button and got it going. I’m very passionate about the completion of this project.
POOLE: The community has waited a long time for this, and we’re about to go into a period of, I think it’s fair to say quite significant disruption. What are you hoping that this project delivers the people of the Coffs, mid-North Coast?
PRIME MINISTER: Primarily safety, that’s the key here. There have been far too many deaths, of course, over the years on the Pacific Highway. Including, of course, two very significant bus crashes. We were tragically reminded of what can occur with the terrible bus crash that impacted in the Hunter Valley just a couple of weeks ago with that significant loss of life. And it makes an enormous difference when you have the dual carriageway, and the separation will make an incredible difference. But it also is about people travelling efficiently, keeping those heavy trucks out of the centre of Coffs Harbour there that had travelled, and when you’ve been going at the speed limit of 100 kilometres, or as the speed limit varies across the highway and then suddenly you’re in a 60 kilometre zone, that can present a real risk if you’ve been driving, particularly for a few hours. So it is a big transformational project, the tunnelling is commencing and I’ll be looking at it today. And really looking forward to it being completed over the next couple of years.
POOLE: The workforce is difficult to fill for this bypass, we’re hearing that we need to recruit engineers from overseas. It comes at a time when there’s not enough housing for the new local nursing community that’s arriving into town, let alone the bypass workers. It seems we’ve got a perfect storm brewing, Prime Minister, that this project could potentially be delayed. Can you guarantee to us, guarantee us this morning that it will be delivered on time?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we’re working on all of those issues. We’re working on skill shortages, making sure that Australians are trained for it, but also readjusting our migration system so that we get the people that we need. This is something that has been building over a period of time that was exacerbated by the pandemic, when our borders were closed. We’ve had engineering shortages for some time, and what we want to do is to adjust the migration system so that we don’t just attract them temporarily, but for skills like that that we’re going to need into the future, we make permanent changes. We’re also addressing the issue of housing supply, which is important that we address that in partnership with State and Territory Governments. So we’ll be working with the Minns government to make sure that we can address that. But we made sure that the funding is available from both levels of Government. This is a critical project and we need to get it done on time. It will, of course, produce some disruption, but it also will produce some economic activity there with people who will come in and be working on the project. Just like the projects of the north and south of Coffs made a significant difference as well.
POOLE: Let’s talk about the Yes vote. I was there at Bluesfest when you announced sort of, pre-election that if you were made the PM, you’d put forward a referendum for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to Parliament. When you mentioned that there was definitely a mixed response in the tent that night and according to polls out this week the No vote is ahead of the Yes vote. Have you read the room right here? Do you think First Nations Australians actually want this?
PRIME MINISTER: First Nations People certainly want this. We know that all the figures show that up to 90 per cent of First Nations people –
POOLE: Where do you get that figure from?
PRIME MINISTER: From all of the polling that’s been done of First Nations people.
POOLE: So what, do you go into remote communities and ask everybody?
PRIME MINISTER: First Nations People have done that. There has been polling that showed the lowest figure that I’ve seen of polling amongst First Nations People is above 80 per cent. And what we, the case for –
POOLE: I’m just wondering, have you come, has anyone come and asked our local First Nations People? Because when I’m speaking here on the ground, I’m getting a very mixed response when I’m calling and asking.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Uluru Statement from the Heart didn’t come from Canberra, it didn’t come from politicians, it came from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People themselves. And they gathered at Uluru in a First Nations Constitutional Convention way back in 2017. There were over 200 delegates who were representative of local land councils, of their local communities, who were sent to Uluru who came with the position, the beautiful statement, frankly, that can be fitted on one A4 page and I’d encourage your listeners to have a read of that. It is a gracious and generous offer that comes from First Nations people themselves. And that’s why the Yes campaign is being led by First Nations People. Just last week, we had the four Northern Territory Land Councils, including the Northern Land Council and the Central Land Council, come to Canberra to produce the new Barunga statement calling for a Yes vote in this referendum. And in terms of Indigenous Australians, we set up the Referendum Working Group, a representative group of more than 50 Indigenous leaders from communities right around Australia, to work on the precise wording. We came up with a consensus view which went into the legislation and then we had the submissions as well, including from many First Nations groups to the parliamentary inquiry that was concluded in May. And then, of course, the legislation to allow for the referendum went through the Parliament last Monday.
POOLE: It’s very hard for the Australian public, I think they’re looking out, hoping that there is Indigenous leadership on the referendum. When you see Lidia Thorpe say she’s voting No, when you see Jacinta Price lead a No campaign, you know you can see why the broader community is confused and unsure what to do.
PRIME MINISTER: The media have a responsibility, frankly. You name the two people, and you could name Warren Mundine as well, but who are supporting No from different perspectives. From Lidia Thorpe’s perspective, saying it doesn’t go far enough, from the other No camp, Warren Mundine and Jacinta Price who are associated with a very conservative political view voting No. But if you look at Aunty Pat Anderson, you look at the Dodson’s, you look at Noel Pearson, Marcia Langton, Tom Calma, the Senior Australian of the year, all of the Northern Land Councils, the representative bodies in the Torres Strait, you look at all of these Indigenous leaders are all campaigning very strongly, as they have for a long period of time for constitutional recognition. This is something that was promised and talked about by the Howard Government last century. If we don’t recognise Indigenous Australians in our constitution now, when will we? Other countries that were the subject of colonisation have recognised their First Nations People a long time ago. In New Zealand’s case in the 19th century, in Canada’s case last century, and this is unfinished business, and I believe it will be a moment of national unity, just like the apology to Stolen Generations was, after it occurred. It was opposed by some people as well, for a long period of time. When it got done, it did lift up our nation, it was positive, and no one now says that that was the wrong thing to do. And I think that constitutional recognition and a Yes vote for the referendum will be the same.
POOLE: A question here from James, Prime Minister. He said, ‘if government funded medical centres in Coffs, who have discontinued bulk billing, will they be instructed to reintroduce bulk billing for at least concession cardholders? Currently, there are no clinics, there are no centres offering bulk billing in Coffs Harbour, and it’s fair to say that we’re a, sort of, lower socio economic area’.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what we did in our budget was to triple the bulk billing incentive. And we believe, and the AMA, and the health professionals are saying what that will do is give significant encouragement, indeed, financial incentive to bulk bill. And we are very hopeful that what that we’ll see is, is up to 11 million Australians get access to bulk billing again. We’re aware that this has been something that’s been eroded with Medicare being undermined, in terms of its universality and bulk billing rates falling over the previous decade. But Labor is the party of Medicare, we created it, we’re supporting it, and in our Budget we’re strengthening it.
POOLE: And to Ukraine, Bob has a question here. He wants to know, ‘why are we sticking our nose into Ukraine?’
PRIME MINISTER: Because the struggle in Ukraine is something that is having an impact on us. And it’s not just a matter of values, they are important. If you look at what is a struggle of a nation state that’s been invaded by a much stronger and larger power to its north, in Russia, in an illegal way that just flaunts international law. Now, if you allow a big state to just ignore national boundaries and to invade a democracy then that has implications around the world – and we’re interconnected these days. The reason for global inflation can be traced to two things, one is the aftermath of supply chain shortages with the pandemic. But the second is the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to a massive spike in oil and gas prices and energy prices around the world. So even though we’re a long way from Russia and Ukraine, that is what has had an impact on inflation, that’s had an impact therefore on interest rates, and it’s impacting our economy, so we can’t be isolated.
POOLE: Prime Minister, if it’s so important then why don’t we give them what they want? I mean, they’re asking for Bushmasters, they’re asking for Hawkeis?
PRIME MINISTER: They’ve got 90 Bushmasters, we continue to send them. The Hawkei’s, the defence advice, with due respect to some of the commentators it’s easy to just come up with a with a statement without examining – the Hawkeis would not be appropriate. There’s a range of reasons why that is the case, and it doesn’t assist people you’re trying to assist who are conducting a war to send them a piece of equipment that will not provide for the best assistance.
POOLE: And finally Prime Minister, a very hard hitting question here from Tim on Birpai country, ‘who are the Rabbitohs going to play in the Grand Final?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’d just be glad if we if we get there. But I think I think a Rabbitohs-Penrith repeat from a couple of years ago, which will give us a chance to avenge the game that we couldn’t go to because of Covid that was held in in Brisbane. So I just hope they pick up and I’m looking forward to Latrell Mitchell getting back on the field.
POOLE: And do me a favour and give Toto a pat for me today, would you?
PRIME MINISTER: I won’t be seeing Toto, I’m in Canberra and then on the road. So I will give that I’ll give Toto a pat for you tomorrow.