Radio interview – Triple M Sydney – Mick and MG in the morning
MICK MOLLOY, HOST: Origin Two is on like a ding dong tonight at Suncorp Stadium, we need to get to the bottom of it. MG, of course, is already on board, but why don’t we go right to the top and speak to Australia’s 31st Prime Minister is on the line now. Please welcome Mr Anthony Albanese.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: G’day, how are you going?
MOLLOY: He’s a Swiftie from way back. How are you, Prime Minister? Welcome aboard.
PRIME MINISTER: I’m very well.
MOLLOY: That’s the way.
PRIME MINISTER: Although I’m a little bit tired. I got up during the night and watched the last hour of that amazing cricket match.
MOLLOY: Unbelievable. You’ve got us on a good day and it is always a fantastic day. Some Prime Ministers of the past would have given us a public holiday today, off the back of a big win like that. Is there any announcement you’d like to make?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I feel like giving myself one, I’ve got to say. I reckon by 2:00 this afternoon in Question Time, I’ll be pretty needy. Let’s hope it’s a happy place.
MOLLOY: I’d like to see you in Question Time, I hope you appear in Question Time in your pyjamas. I’d like to see someone cross the floor in their pyjamas today. It was a great win.
PRIME MINISTER: Do you really though, mate? I don’t think you’ve thought that through.
MOLLOY: I haven’t thought that through. Do you sit up and watch it in a tracksuit like one of our famous former Prime Ministers?
PRIME MINISTER: I was in, I won’t tell you what I was in. No one wants to see the detail. And I didn’t broadcast it out. I was sitting there in the dark, in the jammies here at The Lodge in Canberra. It was pretty cold in Canberra at 4am, let me tell you.
MOLLOY: I’ve got to tell you, you’re 100 per cent right. Now, we all know this, you’re on record. You’re a South Sydney Rabbitohs nuffy. You grew up in Sydney’s inner-west. You’ll be watching the game again tonight. How do the Blues pull this out of the fire and go to a third without the dead rubber?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they would have done better if they had Campbell Graham in the centres, I’ll tell you that.
MARK GEYER, HOST: Oh, yeah, yeah.
PRIME MINISTER: And if Latrell wasn’t injured. So, there’s a bit of a reluctance, I think, to pick Souths players. I think, fair to say, Penrith players get a fair crack in the team.
MOLLOY: Here we go.
GEYER: Oh, you’re not serious. Come on, you can’t say that, Albo.
PRIME MINISTER: I’m trying to be controversial here.
GEYER: Have you had a bet with Mrs Palaszczuk for tonight’s game? Have you put the flag up on a bridge or something like that?
PRIME MINISTER: I had a chat with her last night. She’s not very confident because she says that Queensland does well when they’re the underdogs. And I think they’re probably the red hot favourites tonight. So, let’s hope we turn the tables. And I think Teddy will have a cracker tonight. He was a bit off in game one, and I’ve never seen him have two ordinary games in a row, so I think they’ll go well.
MOLLOY: He’ll be popping on the Blues jumper for sure. Where will you be watching the game?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, would you believe it or not, they say sometimes that politicians are out of touch, and I understand why they sometimes say that, but the media, the media guys. The press gallery ball is on tonight. A charity event.
GEYER: Come on.
MOLLOY: Oh, cut it out.
PRIME MINISTER: Put on tonight. Like, are you kidding me?
MOLLOY: That is un-Australian.
GEYER: You’ve got a sniffle, you can’t go. You have a bit of a cough.
PRIME MINISTER: It’s a good event for charity. There’s auction prizes and things that people can bid to raise money for the wonderful Bill Crews there at Ashfield.
GEYER: Yeah it’s a great charity.
PRIME MINISTER: I know. It could have been last week, it could have been next week, could have been any time other than three nights.
MOLLOY: You’ll be like one of those blokes at a wedding watching the game on their mobile phone, which is strategically placed under the desk, I’m guessing.
PRIME MINISTER: Absolutely, I will be.
MOLLOY: Hey, now before we go, we know how much you love your sport, and great result with the Ashes. It’ll be great tonight if the Blues get up. One controversial question I have to ask you. My two twin boys recently went to Canberra on a school study trip. They had the pleasure of meeting you, and one of, they’re twin boys, they’re ten years old, and one of them, I believe Lenny, said, ‘Excuse me, Prime Minister, is it true my father is Australia’s favourite son?’ And you looked him straight in the eye and said, ‘Absolutely not.’ Breaking two little boys’ hearts. Do you confirm or deny this conversation occurred?
PRIME MINISTER: This is not true. This is not true. This is not true.
MOLLOY: I guarantee you it happened.
PRIME MINISTER: Mate when are you coming to the footy?
MOLLOY: I would like to go. Well, I’ll tell you what. It’s very important as a Prime Minister that you keep your promises, and I would love to come with you. But before that, here’s a little clip of a promise you made to me last time you were on the program.
PRIME MINISTER: I would take you to Balmain, to a pub crawl around Balmain. Because it is the closest place where there are pubs at every corner. And I’d take you to the places that I guess people don’t know about, like the best Greek in Marrickville, the Corinthian Hotel. Because you’re a Melbournian, you’ve got to like Greek food.
MOLLOY: I do indeed. You had me at hello, Prime Minister.
MOLLOY: All right. There it is. You need to earn the trust of the electorate and keep your promises. When’s that happening?
PRIME MINISTER: It’s on, mate. It’s done.
GEYER: It’s on mate, it’s on.
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll be in Sydney, I don’t know about the pub crawl, because I have things on every night. But we’ll organise that, but we can do the Corinthian, I think I’m in Sydney next Wednesday.
MOLLOY: All right, well we’ll lock it in, get your people to speak to my people. Thank you for your time today, Prime Minister. Good luck tonight with the Blues and coming up, a great result with the Ashes. Cheers.
PRIME MINISTER: Cheers guys, go Blues.
GEYER: Thanks, buddy.