Radio Interview – MIX94.5 Perth
PETE: Good morning to your Prime Minister. Welcome back to Perth.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. I like the Blur introduction. That was very good.
KYMBA, HOST: Only the best, only the best. You happy to be here? Going to be here for most of Telethon?
PRIME MINISTER: I am here for a couple of days for Telethon. I got in last night, flew over straight after Parliament rose. And it’s a beautiful day out there, I’ve got to say.
KYMBA: Oh, we turned it on. We’ve had it turned on like this for about a week just for everyone who came over early for Telethon.
PRIME MINISTER: Put them in a good mood. Get them to give more.
KYMBA: The spirit of WA over Telethon weekend is fantastic. It’s got a lot of heart and it’s got a lot of, I think, the old-school stuff that WA love.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the highlight for me is going to be this afternoon when I’m meeting the ambassadors. This year, it is Connor, Sophia, Harrison and Emily. And I met the ambassadors last year, they’re such lovely kids. Kids doing it really tough but inspirational because they’re so positive about life and everything
KYMBA: Their attitudes are amazing, aren’t they?
PRIME MINISTER: It was just lovely. So, I’m really looking forward to that this afternoon.
KYMBA: Yeah, we could learn a lot from those kids.
PETE: 100 per cent and especially in lieu of what’s happened this past weekend, we do have to talk about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, unfortunately, and commiserations. The No vote got up. How are you feeling off the back of that this week?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, my concern is for Indigenous Australians, many of them having a tough week. Because overwhelmingly, of course, communities in the Kimberley, in the Pilbara and in Northern Australia and the remote communities in Queensland, Palm Island, Mornington Island, those places voted overwhelmingly Yes. But we have to respect the decision of the Australian people. And I do that. Indigenous Australians put a lot of effort into what form constitutional recognition should take. They put it forward as an invitation, we took that up as a Government, and I certainly think that we did the right thing by, this had drifted on for a long period of time, the Uluru Statement was in 2017. If we didn’t put it to people, were we just going to continue to kick the can down the road.
KYMBA: I mean, I think that you did what you could and I think that we take from that you respect the decision of the vote.
PRIME MINISTER: Absolutely.
KYMBA: And what Australians said and I think if we all just move forward going, as long as everyone respects each other, we might be okay.
PRIME MINISTER: Exactly, that’s the key. Look, I said on Saturday night, you know, we’re not Yes voters or No voters, we’re Australians. And I think, overwhelmingly, Australians do want to see the gap closed between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. We have to work on a different way from the one that was put up. This week, after I leave here, I’m going to Midland TAFE to talk about our Skills Agreement, it’s a five-year agreement, the first one since 2012.
KYMBA: I was going to sign Pete up. We’re keen to get Pete some skills.
PRIME MINISTER: Get him some training and some skills.
PETE, HOST: They are, I’m not. I’m pretty happy just sort of sitting here.
PRIME MINISTER: You could fix the chairs in this studio, so they slide everywhere.
PETE: Hang on a second, before you pot us for that, you got to be careful because we’ve got video of that footage of you trying to get up on that chair.
PRIME MINISTER: Exactly. This is like a joke played on your guests as they come in the studio here. And I noticed that you’re standing.
PETE: Yes, I am.
PRIME MINISTER: You’re standing, not participating in this exercise.
PETE: I always stand when the Prime Minister of Australia is in the studio.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, getting back to what I was talking about, which is about the big Skills Agreement, part of that is over $200 million is aimed at Indigenous Australians as well getting their skills up, getting Indigenous people, either the young Indigenous people or retraining them through TAFE through getting their skills. We have to concentrate on jobs, education, health, the life expectancy issues, we just need to do better as a country. And one of the positives an Indigenous leader said to me yesterday, said there’s never been in his lifetime such a concentration and people talking about Indigenous disadvantage. And the first step to finding a solution is identifying the problem. And I think as Australians, regardless of what way they voted last weekend, are much more conscious now about the eight-year life expectancy gap, about the gaps in health and in education and those issues. And I’m very hopeful that will lead to better outcomes.
PETE: And plenty more to hear on that coming very soon because we know this is not the end of your push to make sure that Indigenous Australians are recognised as they should be. Can we go back to Telethon for just a moment?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah.
PETE: Throughout this morning, every half hour we’ve been playing Alphabucks Kids, right? It’s a game that we play. 30 seconds, 10 questions, get them all right, the kids win $1,000 But we’ve been matching every dollar, dollar for dollar, to give to the kids at Telethon this week.
PRIME MINISTER: Good on you.
KYMBA: Well, the kids that have come to play this morning, they’ve got a lot of correct answers and we’ve already got a couple of $1,000 going in there.
PETE : Yeah. Have you got time to hang around?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, yeah, sure.
PETE: Good, because we’re going to come back and play Albobuck next.
PRIME MINISTER: Do I get to ask the questions?
PETE: No, you get to answer them.
PRIME MINISTER: Did you notice what I did
PETE: Suggestion noted.
PRIME MINISTER: First you set me up with the chair. Now you set me up with a quiz.
PETE: Stick around, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese plays Alphabucks.
[break]
PETE: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese still with us ready to play Alphabucks.
PRIME MINISTER: That was a big budget tune, that was.
KYMBA: Lot’s of production went into that.
PETE: Always roll out the big guns for the Prime Minister. Now, we’ve got 12-year-old Joshua in Northam. Good morning, mate.
JOSHUA, CALLER: Hello.
KYMBA: Hey Josh. I tell you know we had a couple of kids out. We had Noah from Gingin this morning, we’ve got Josh in Northam. Josh, you were hoping to donate some money to Telethon?
JOSHUA: Definitely.
KYMBA: Oh, awesome. Well, we’re going to do something a bit different.
PETE: Now, Josh, the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, is going to play Alphabucks for you, which what that means Prime Minister is that every question that you correctly guess, and you get the 10 bucks, or if you get all 10, you get the $1,000. Joshua is going to get that money, and then we’re going to match that dollar for dollar and give it to Telethon.
PRIME MINISTER: Cool, and Josh, does Joshua get to help me out here?
KYMBA: I mean, what do you think? I mean, I don’t know the rules. But I think it seems only fair. I mean, what are we going to do? I mean, if you’re the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister drops the ball on this.
PETE: International incident.
PRIME MINISTER: In comes Josh, off the long run from Northam.
KYMBA: Josh, have you got a little bit of something inspirational to say to the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, just to pump him up?
JOSHUA: Whatever you do, don’t get any one wrong.
PRIME MINISTER: No pressure, Josh. Thanks, buddy. What school are you at Josh?
JOSHUA: Bakers Hill.
PRIME MINISTER: And, if you’re 12, are you in year six or seven?
JOSHUA: Yeah, year six.
PRIME MINISTER: Year six are about to go into high school next year.
JOSHUA: Yes.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, good luck with that, Josh.
KYMBA: We’ve had confirmation. No help from Josh. Josh can’t yell anything out. Because when you play Alphabucks, can’t get help from anyone.
PETE: I’m so sorry. Are you going through, I can’t hear what you’re saying, are you going through a tunnel?
KYMBA: Stop it. Are you ready, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, to play Albobucks?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m ready to the extent that I’m unaware of the rules. I don’t know what I’m doing.
KYMBA: Pete, that’s your job.
PRIME MINISTER: If that is okay, we can proceed. We’ll see how we go.
PETE: So, 30 seconds, 10 questions for $1,000, pass if you don’t know an answer, and we’ll just give it to you. Your letter today is ‘C’ for cook.
PRIME MINISTER: For Roger Cook for the Premier?
PETE: Well, more, just like say, for example, there might be like a four letter word. It might be a question right, then cook would be the answer.
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll be with him today at Midland TAFE in a little while.
KYMBA: So ‘C’ for cook, you know the letter. Okay. You’ve got 30 seconds. Just shout your answers as quickly as you can. Pass if you don’t know, we’ll come back around. Are you ready?
PRIME MINISTER: Yep.
KYMBA: Question number one. Name something you do when you’re sad.
PRIME MINISTER: Cry.
KYMBA: A boy’s name.
PRIME MINISTER: Christopher.
KYMBA: An animal.
PRIME MINISTER: Cat
KYMBA: A vegetable.
PRIME MINISTER: Cauliflower.
KYMBA: A girl’s name.
PRIME MINISTER: Christine.
KYMBA: A sport.
PRIME MINISTER: Cricket.
KYMBA: Something you do in the kitchen.
PRIME MINISTER: Cook
KYMBA: A holiday where you get presents.
PRIME MINISTER: Christmas.
KYMBA: A cartoon.
PRIME MINISTER: Pass
KYMBA: A four letter word
PRIME MINISTER: Cook.
KYMBA: A cartoon.
PRIME MINISTER: A cartoon. Quick help me out here, come on Joshy.
PETE: Oh no, what happened to the buzzer.
KYMBA: Pete, you’ve blown it. Josh, what’s a cartoon?
PETE: Josh, what’s a cartoon, Josh? Josh, did you say ‘Cars’?
JOSHUA: Cars.
PETE: Cars, yeah. Oh, hang on a minute what happened here? Alright Josh, now here’s the kicker. You said the word cook twice.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah.
KYMBA: And you can’t repeat an answer.
PRIME MINISTER: You didn’t say that.
KYMBA: But I don’t know if Pete said that in the rules.
PETE: I didn’t say that in the rules.
KYMBA: I didn’t actually hear, Pete, that in the rules.
PETE: Now Rami the producer, did you explain that to the Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Rami gave me nothing.
RAMI, PRODUCER: Prime Minister. I gave you all the rules. I will not be thrown under the bus.
PRIME MINISTER: You gave me none of the rules. I had to beg for water. Seriously, not even any coffee.
PETE: The boss is behind you, Rami. Now, Speedy are you seriously going to tell the Prime Minister of this country?
SPEEDY, MANAGER: Let’s just boycott the segment and give the 1,000 bucks anyway. Let’s just do it.
KYMBA: That means Josh gets 1,000 and Telethon gets 1,000.
JOSHUA: Thank you so much.
KYMBA: Josh was going to donate to Telethon anyway.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, good on you, Josh.
PETE: Wow, what an absolute mess.
PRIME MINISTER: Hey Josh, will ask you independently. Did they say at any time that you couldn’t use the same word twice? No, they didn’t, did they?
JOSHUA: No. What did they say? Did they say that?
PRIME MINISTER: They are just making it up as they go along.
PETE: I like you, Josh. They breed and well in Northam.
PRIME MINISTER: Me and Josh are on a unity ticket here.
PETE: Prime Minister, thanks for joining us. Great to see you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks guys. That was great fun. And thank you for the station support for Telethon. Good on you.