Radio Interview – Triple M Goldfields
CONNOR MALLIS, HOST: I guess, the real big question is what brings you to the Goldfields?
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: I’ve been here looking at the Super Pit this morning, meeting with young apprentices. There was terrific young women there, one who’s just come from Adelaide a little while ago and now she’s driving a very, very large vehicle down into the pit just a few weeks later. But it was terrific to meet with them, talk about the great future that’s there for expansion and operation over many decades but also to talk with the sector about future jobs growth. There’s critical minerals here, rare earths, as well as of course, gold which the Goldfields is known for. But then I went to the School of the Air there at Kalgoorlie and we’re putting in high speed broadband there, the NBN, so that the kids there, it was fortunate their parents were there for a week for their training as well so that they can teach the young ones. And some of those families, they travel more than 1000 kilometres for the week here. But high-speed broadband will just be the key to overcoming the tyranny of distance and will be so important for their education. So, meeting the parents, the students themselves, and their teachers today was an incredible privilege. And then I caught up with the Mayor here, John Bowler, at the Council Chambers. I was back there, the last time I was there I was the Local Government Minister so quite a few years ago now. So I caught up with John about issues affecting the region.
MALLIS: We loved having you here and you’ve been a big hit, a celebrity in town as well. My big question for you is just about the housing we have here in the Goldfields. Fantastic news, as you touched on before about the expansion of the Super Pit and we’re going to bring more money into the economy that way as well. But we’re having an issue where we just don’t have enough houses for residents. And I don’t know if you’ve seen driving around, we actually have some cafes shut and we’re really struggling to try and fill those niche roles of like a Woollies shelver, like packing shelves and whatnot. And we’re just battling with mining companies for rentals so some people’s rents have gone up $150 in the recent years, and we’re just kind of struggling for that. I was wondering because it’s such a big boost to the economy with mining, the mining sector itself, I was wondering if the Federal Government can do anything to help out with that?
PRIME MINISTER: We’ve got a housing Australia Future Fund legislation before the Parliament at the moment. That would deliver 30,000 additional social and community housing dwellings, increased emergency housing, housing reserves as well for veterans, it would make a big difference. But on top of that, we’re having a State-Commonwealth Housing Agreement is being negotiated through at the moment that will commence in a year. But in addition to that, as well, we’ve got a Housing Accord with the Master Builders Association, with unions, talking about how we increase supply. As part of the legislation that’s before the Parliament at the moment, it will create a housing supply and affordability council. Getting together the private sector, different levels of Government, Council, about how we get an increase in supply of housing. In an area like this it’s so important. You’ve got jobs available if people could get here at a time where they’re still, you know, unemployment at 3.7%, it’s low historically. but if we can get more people to move to the regions, and part of that is giving them somewhere to live. So it is something that we are putting our shoulder to the wheel on.
MALLIS: The next big question I have for you, have you selected your eye shadow for next week?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I’ll be wearing something pretty similar to what I’m wearing now or maybe a t-shirt for the big Pride March in Sydney. It’s brought an enormous number of people to Australia, to our economy, and hopefully many of them will spread out beyond Sydney and go right around this great vast continent we call Australia. And so I am looking forward to it, it’ll be good fun.
MALLIS: I really like how you’re doing things around Australia and setting the new standard being the first Prime Minister to actually be involved in it, so I take my hat off to you. And just before we wrap up, I have a little local quiz for you that I’d like to run.
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll be in trouble here.
MALLIS: I’m sure you’ll be fine. I’ve given you some multiple choice to make it a little bit easier. So I want you I want to ask you, what is the name of the local nightclub here in Kalgoorlie – is it the Smelter, is it the Gold Bar or is it the Night Shift?
PRIME MINISTER: I have no idea. I’ll answer ‘D’. Prime Ministers should not know the name of the local nightclub here in Kalgoorlie.
MALLIS: We will make ‘D’ the exception there.
PRIME MINISTER: What’s the right answer?
MALLIS: The Gold Bar.
PRIME MINISTER: The Gold Bar, that makes sense. That’s a great name.
MALLIS: We had the Reubens there over the weekend.
PRIME MINISTER: Wow.
MALLIS: Yeah, so they were in town and played the city, put on a free concert.
PRIME MINISTER: They are awesome, I’ve seen them once. They might be, are they from the west, the Reubens?
MALLIS: No, they’re east, or they’re living in Sydney at the moment. But yeah, it was great to have them there. They came for the weekend, we managed to take them to the Gold Bar, had their own little private section. And yeah, they were great, they went out and met a few of the public and it was a great night.
PRIME MINISTER: Awesome. That’s a great thing and there’s nothing better than live music. So I got to see the last ever concert of the Sunnyboys.
MALLIS: Wow.
PRIME MINISTER: On Saturday night at the Enmore Theatre they played with the Painters and Dockers, which is showing my age, both of them I guess, a blast from the past. But it was their last ever gig at the Enmore Theatre and Peter Oxley, the bass player, used to run, when the Sunnyboys only lasted a couple of albums and they broke up and then he ran the local pizza joint near my house in Newtown in Sydney, so it was good to see them.
MALLIS: I bet. Now, second question is which one of these is not a football club in the Goldfields Football League – the Boulder Nuggets, the Railway Panthers or Kalgoorlie City?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m going to go with Kalgoorlie City.
MALLIS: That’s the team I play for, so they’re a team. But the Boulder Nuggets.
PRIME MINISTER: The Boulder Nuggets would be a great name for a team.
MALLIS: When I was typing this question up I thought the Boulder Nuggets might be a great one, but it’s the Boulder Tigers. And last one, I think you should know the answer to this one because you said it already, but what is the name of the giant hole in the ground?
PRIME MINISTER: The Super Pit.
MALLIS: Well, Mr Albanese, thank you so much for joining me on Triple M this morning. It was great to have you in town and great to have you in the studio.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much mate, and everyone have a great day.