Radio interview – Triple M Hobart
RHEA GILLIS, HOST: Prime Minister, Federal Cabinet is meeting in Hobart today. What’s on the agenda?
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: We are. Well, it’s our normal Cabinet meeting that we hold once a week. But I want to make sure that I bring the whole ministry out to where people are. So, this will be our first meeting this term in in Tasmania. We’ve been meeting around the states. And so this morning, I’m visiting a TAFE talking about our Employment White Paper, talking about the need to skill up Australians. Fee-free TAFE has been a huge success. We promised 180,000 this year, we’ve delivered over 220,000 places. We’re going to have TAFE centres of excellence. We think that those issues, to train and skill up Australians, are really important. So there’ll be other ministers at early learning centres. There’ll be Ministers looking at health, looking at the full range of issues right across the state over these days. Yesterday afternoon, I had a gathering with the Yes volunteers for the referendum campaign and that was terrific. I was with Andrew Wilkie and Carol Brown and Julie Collins, and talking with people who are out there knocking on doors, trying to send the message that this referendum is important for Australia, that it just asks for recognition of the First Australians in our Constitution and also through a non-binding advisory group. There’s nothing to fear from actually listening to people about matters that affect them.
PHIL BRADLEY, HOST: On the text message, listener David has asked: ‘How confident are you of achieving the yes vote exceeding 57 per cent across Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria with New South Wales to claw back the expected 1.5 million No margin in WA in Queensland?’
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’m very hopeful that we’ll get a Yes outcome in the referendum. I’m much more positive about Western Australia and Queensland that there won’t be that gap. We saw today in an Essential poll, the first time in a while, you have a trend back to Yes and a trend away from No. There’s still a mountain to climb, but we have our feet on the mountain and we’re marching up to a positive future. I think when people actually focus on what this question is, and importantly, what it’s not. A whole lot of the No campaign is based upon things that have nothing to do with the referendum and misinformation. When people focus on those simple things: should we recognise First Australians in our founding document? Of course we should. Every country does do that except for us. And secondly, there’s nothing to fear from a non-binding advisory group being able to talk about matters that affect Indigenous Australians and you’ll get better outcomes when you listen to people.
BRADLEY: Now, I have noticed since the last time we spoke, because I did ask you at that particular time about whether the No campaign had enlisted quite a few prominent Indigenous Australians to front their vote. Does that still concern you, though, that there seems to be that resistance to this referendum amongst First Nations people?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, overwhelmingly, Indigenous Australians are supporting this referendum. This is their request. This hasn’t come from politicians. This came from a gathering of 250 Indigenous leaders representative of their communities. Every land council in the Northern Territory is supporting, for example, is supporting a Yes campaign in this referendum. Over 80 per cent of Indigenous Australians are supporting Yes. And of course, like any other group, like Greek Australians or Italian Australians or Triple M listeners, they’re not a homogenous group. People will have different views and they’re entitled to that and that should be respected. But to be very clear, this came from Indigenous Australians. And it is a pretty humble request, frankly. They’re not asking for a right of veto or the right to fund programs or anything like that. They’re just saying we want to be heard. And that is a very modest request.
BRADLEY: Now, I know since you’ve been here in Tassie, and while it’s only been probably less than 24 hours, I know you have spoken to people in the street. What sense are you getting from them?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m getting a really positive response from people. People like Rodney Dillon, who I spoke to yesterday afternoon, saying that response is positive. Just walking around the streets, I went shopping yesterday afternoon in the mall. I packed pretty quickly yesterday morning because I was going to Victoria and Tassie and remembered everything except a shirt. So I went shopping yesterday afternoon. If you want to find out what’s going on, just walk around and talk with people. Yesterday down at Salamanca, I had a beer with David Bartlett and talked to a lot of people there and the feedback has been extremely positive. And that is the feedback I get from right around the country, is that when people focus on what the question is, get away from some of the fear campaign, then they do say, yeah, that’s fair enough. The Australian way is to give people a fair go, to give people a crack. And that’s what this is about.
BRADLEY: Before our next question, thank you for spending some money here in Tassie, that’s great.
GILLIS: Very grateful
PRIME MINISTER: This shirt – I won’t give a free ad to the shop – purchased locally.
GILLIS: Wonderful. So, we are encouraging our listeners to get informed on the Voice, go to voice.gov.au. Don’t vote No just because you don’t know, get the information and then make your decision on how you’re going to vote.
PRIME MINISTER: Exactly. And the question is pretty clear. It just says, in recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the first peoples of Australia, then it say there shall be a body, the Voice, it may make representations to the government. So representations, doesn’t have right a veto. And then the Parliament will make laws about how the Voice functions, like the Parliament makes laws about everything. So it’s pretty clear and I encourage people to read what the question is and then make up their own mind.
GILLIS: Yeah, absolutely. Will you be meeting with the Premier Jeremy Rockliff while you’re in Tassie?
PRIME MINISTER: I won’t. But I had a chat with Jeremy last week. I think he’s a bit busy.
BRADLEY: Does that concern you as the Prime Minister as well, to see a state government in what appears to be a total disarray?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it is of concern. But my job is to represent the entire nation, and I have a constructive relationship with Premier Rockliff. He’s from a different political party to me, that’s fine. We sit down and have conversations and work cooperatively wherever we can, like I do with other state Premiers. I of course, am a friend of Rebecca White. I want to see Labor do well. But I’m very conscious that my did my job means working constructively with whoever the Premier is. And I’ve got to say, I have a very good relationship with him.
BRADLEY: As the current state of play, this could trigger a state election
PRIME MINISTER: It could well.
BRADLEY: Are you confident that Tasmanian Labor could win that election?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, yes. I think Rebecca White is an amazing person. I’ve known her for a long period of time. She’s an experienced politician. She’s a leader. And she has a strong team behind her. But that’s a matter for the people of Tasmania. I don’t have a vote. As I did last time, I’ll always campaign for and support Labor candidates. But there’s no election yet at this point in time. We’ll wait and see how it plays out. I feel for Jeremy Rockliff, I’ve got to say. I think it’s pretty hard trying to run a minority government. I remember having 70 votes out of 150 on the floor of the House of Representatives. I was the Government Leader of the House in that minority Parliament. But having 10 out of 25 is is pretty tough.
BRADLEY: So, if we go to do go to a state election, we will see you back here?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course. I’ll be back here regardless. This is my seventh visit to Tasmania this year. I’m a regular visitor here, and I’ll continue to go throughout the state. I was in Devonport just a few weeks ago. I was in Launceston campaigning with Bridget Archer for a Yes vote. And before that, I was here in Hobart with Jeremy and Rebecca seeing off Pat Farmer who has, since he left the steps here of Hobart Town Hall, next week he arrives in Uluru. This guy, a former Federal Liberal MP, has run 14,000 kilometres. He’s older than I am. He’s in his 60s. And he has run right around Australia just to raise consciousness about a Yes vote. And that’s the sort of commitment that we’re seeing for many Australians to raise awareness about the need to close the gap. If we think about where we are now, people say to me ‘Oh, what are the consequences of a No vote?’ Well, No is what we have now. And so that’s an eight year life expectancy gap. That’s a greater chance of an Indigenous young male going to jail than going to university. We need to do better, which is why I encourage people to vote Yes.
BRADLEY: And if they do vote Yes, and it all comes to fruition, when will we start to see things happen?
PRIME MINISTER: We’ll see things very quickly. I’ll establish a joint parliamentary committee jointly chaired by someone from the Labor Party and someone from the Coalition to do the legislation. But I think as well, a Yes vote will immediately have an impact in just giving respect to First Australians and lifting up them, but also lifting up the whole country. I was the Leader of the House when we had the Apology to Stolen Generations. And you know what? The country felt a little bit more enlarged and just that bit better when that happened. And a Yes vote is a positive act for people. And I think that we’ll feel better about ourselves. And we’ll project to the world a more confident nation that has come to terms with the fullness and richness of our history. The fact we share this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth is a source of pride for Australians. We know that. And we see that at the Grand Finals, when we had the Welcome to countries at the AFL and the NRL Grand Final on the weekend, people there standing up giving that respect. And that is an important thing that has happened in my lifetime.
BRADLEY: I was fortunate enough to be in the crowd at the Grand Final for the AFL on the weekend. And I must admit, I’ve never heard it so quiet. It was quiet for that Welcome to Country added in a massive applause at the end of it.
PRIME MINISTER: That’s great. And it’s just a matter of showing respect. And you know what, there’s a bit of a quiet around the country waiting, a bit of a paused breath at the moment while this referendum takes place. But there’ll be applause not just from Indigenous Australians. The result of Yes will be a moment of national unity. And it will be an uplifting time for the nation. And I sincerely hope that it happens. I’ve been to a lot of Grand Finals, my first was ’89, Hawthorn/Geelong. There was no Welcome to Country back then. And now it doesn’t cost anything, it just gives something to a group and we all feel better about ourselves, just like marriage equality didn’t impact on people who aren’t in same sex relationships. But has anyone been hurt by that? No.
BRADLEY: Important vote taking place on the 14th. Of course, yesterday in Tasmania, the pre-polling opened up so people, whichever way you’re going. Voting, of course, is compulsory. So get out there and vote.
PRIME MINISTER: And they can vote today.
BRADLEY: Certainly, absolutely. You can get details at AEC.com.au We do have quite a long way to go. But we have come quite a way as well. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, thank you so much for joining us.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks so much. Always great to be in Hobart and even better to be in the studio here.