Radio interview – ABC Radio Brisbane
KELLY HIGGINS-DEVINE, HOST: Anthony Albanese is the Prime Minister of Australia. Prime Minister, good morning.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Good to be with you.
HIGGINS-DEVINE: So this proposal, this package you’ve put forward, what do you hope it will do?
PRIME MINISTER: What I hope it will do is take the sting out of the price rises that we’ve seen for both business and households as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We’ve seen this massive spike in global energy prices. Now, our gas producers will continue to get the large dollars for the increases as well as coal producers for all of the exports. But we need to make sure that at the same time that for domestic use, businesses are able to continue to function and households are not as severely impacted as they would be if you just let the market operate with global prices being charged for what are domestic purposes for resources that are Australia’s, and that’s what’s been going on. So this temporary price cap on gas and on coal is aimed at putting that downward pressure on and at the same time we want to give some relief to households and also to small businesses.
HIGGINS-DEVINE: How much of that $1.5 billion would go to rebates and how much would go to those industries?
PRIME MINISTER: That $1.5 billion is all for relief for households and also for small business. We know that are people doing it tough so Commonwealth recipients, pensioners, people on Jobseeker, people on Family Tax Benefits will all receive some assistance and that will be targeted particularly towards those states which are part of the national energy market who’ve been hardest hit, so southeast Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia. States like WA, are doing much better because they have their gas reservation policy that they introduced all those years ago. And that’s proven to be quite a wise policy because in WA, Northern Territory, ACT, and Tasmania they haven’t been impacted by exposure to the global price increases.
HIGGINS-DEVINE: Is that something that we need to look at nationally then?
PRIME MINISTER: We do. But what we’re dealing with at the moment is both trying to deal with those longer term issues like how are we less exposed to global markets by having greater resilience, greater supply. All of the state and territory Energy Ministers last Thursday agreed to a Capacity Investment Scheme that will see greater private sector investment in storage and making sure that our energy supplies are more secure. But in the short term, you can’t solve supply issues instantly. They take often years to come online which is why we need this immediate action which is why I’m bringing back the Parliament on Thursday to deal with that.
HIGGINS-DEVINE: Well, with that of course, once you make an announcement like this the deal making begins and the various interested parties come out. And you’ve got the Greens saying the energy bill will face a contest in the Senate if you compensate gas and coal producers. You’re saying you’re not going to do that. So what are you going to do to get the Greens over the line on this in the Senate?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, look, I’m sure that they will in the end be constructive and we’re having dialogue across the board. I would find it remarkable that Peter Dutton, or anyone else is going to say, ‘yep, we’re happy to sit back and just allow for increases in energy prices, to be linked to the global energy price surge, and shock indeed that’s occurred’. We know that coal, for example, was getting under $100 a tonne not too long ago. It’s now at prices like $400 a tonne. We know that in the gas market it was often available deals for $10 or under. And the surge has seen some price offers of up to $35 and $40. And that’s just absurd that Australian domestic users should be punished as a result of a war in Europe. We didn’t expect there to be land wars in Europe in the way that we’ve seen. And that’s why we need to act to protect businesses and to protect households. And I’m confident that the Parliament will see that they have responsibility to act.
HIGGINS-DEVINE: Prime Minister, how much of this would go to the Queensland Government in compensation for coal caps? Because I suppose the argument could be made that well, you know, Queenslanders do well out of resources.
PRIME MINISTER: Queensland is doing well out of resources and will continue to do well out of resources. The thing about what is proposed here is that Queensland will use the power that they have as the part operator of the Gladstone facility to regulate, they don’t need to legislate. And one of the things that Queensland is benefiting from is the fact that you haven’t had the massive privatisation of assets that we’ve seen in some other states. It has proven to be a very wise decision indeed. And we’re seeing in Victoria, the Andrews Government just be re-elected with a policy of bringing back state owned corporation down there. So Queensland is benefiting from the fact that they haven’t privatised all their assets, they will continue to do well. What we’re talking about here is a limited intervention for a time limited period, as well and what that will do is enable Queensland businesses and manufacturers to continue to operate effectively.
HIGGINS-DEVINE: Prime Minister, if I can just move on to today’s news, the tragic shooting of two police officers and a civilian on Queensland’s Western downs. Your reaction to that news when you heard it overnight?
PRIME MINISTER: This is just shocking news. I was just talking with David Littleproud who is the local MP there in in western Queensland, and he was telling me about the nature of this very small community that will be devastated by this news. And indeed I was talking with my own Protection Officers this morning, Australian Federal Police of course provide personal protection for the Prime Minister and…
HIGGINS-DEVINE: The men and women who would take a bullet for you.
PRIME MINISTER: Every police officer today and their families will be feeling devastated, impacted very personally by this. But my heart particularly goes out to the families and friends of the police officers and also this innocent victim as well, this neighbour who was murdered in this atrocity, as well as of course another police officer was injured. This is just horrific news. And the scenes of the shooting that was occurring, even as the police helicopters and people trying to get people to safety. This barbaric action is something that has just shocked everyone. I was certainly shocked when I received the call last night. My heart on behalf of all Australians just goes out to those people who’ve been directly impacted by this.
HIGGINS-DEVINE: It’s atrocious. Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, is my guest this morning on ABC Radio Brisbane. I just wanted to talk about the changes also to the COVID response and just put to you, I’ve read that for PCR tests you’re going to need a referral for that after January 1st. To me, that’s a move that just takes it right off the table for people even getting a PCR test unless maybe you’ve got some immunocompromised condition or something like that. Who’s gonna pay the $30 – $40 bucks to go see their doctor for five minutes so they can get a referral for the PCR? It’s just a way surely of making sure that people actually don’t do PCR tests?
PRIME MINISTER: No, not at all. PCR tests will still be very much available to people who are immunocompromised and to people who are vulnerable. What is occurring is that upon the advice of the health professionals gradually moving towards treating this like other respiratory diseases are treated. We know that this is going to be around for a while. I myself, of course was…
HIGGINS-DEVINE: You had it.
PRIME MINISTER: Contracted COVID just a week ago. This time last week, I was…
HIGGINS-DEVINE: How are you feeling Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m feeling okay today. And I think the lesson there, in part is we need to recognise that COVID is still around. We need to take precautions and be sensible. And we need to also to make sure that we get our booster shots. I have no doubt in talking to my doctor, the fact that I have had four shots, which is recommended…
HIGGINS-DEVINE: Yeah, but the referral makes it difficult, Prime Minister. Sorry to interrupt, but the referral makes it difficult when you can just go and get the test it’s fine. But now it’s a two-step process and it’s a process that like bulk billing fine if you can get it but it’s rarer and rarer. And people just aren’t going to be bothered. They really aren’t. You just think ‘Nah, I’m not doing that’. It takes almost a week anyway to get a GP appointment. I mean, it’s crazy enough trying to get in. But by the time you’ve got your appointment you’re almost over it anyway. It just it just seems to me like ‘meh’, you know, a referral is just a way of pushing people toward not bothering.
PRIME MINISTER: No, that’s not right. But of course, people now take Rapid Antigen Tests. In terms of PCRs they’re still available, of course, at the moment, but they being gradually wound down. The centres where people could go, those drive-through centres over a period of time, many of them have been closed compared with what used to occur when there were pop up centres everywhere. This is just recognising the changes that are occurring over a period of time and we’ll continue to respond. We’re providing increased support targeted for vulnerable communities, including increased support for PPL, for aged care facilities, for people who are workers who work with vulnerable sections of the community, be that in aged care or health care disability care. We’re making sure that we do target those vulnerable areas and will continue to do so.
HIGGINS-DEVINE: Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese thank you for your time this morning. Appreciate it.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much. And to all of your listeners I hope if I’m not on Brisbane ABC in the next couple of weeks, then I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a joyous and peaceful time with their family and friends.
HIGGINS-DEVINE: And to you as well. Although I can’t imagine that Parliament’s going to be joyous and peaceful.
PRIME MINISTER: Usually not terribly peaceful. But I I’ve got to say, it might be more peaceful than people think. I think the idea that people are going to say, ‘yep, we’re gonna vote for higher energy prices’, well we’ll wait and see who actually does.
HIGGINS-DEVINE: Prime Minister. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you.