Television interview – Sky News Afternoon Agenda
KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: Joining me live now from Uluru is the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. Prime Minister, thanks for your time. In March, you were visibly moved –
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon, Kieran.
GILBERT: When you announced the final wording of the referendum and the Constitutional amendment. Now you’re at Uluru this afternoon, is that sense of history still very much front of mind for you?
PRIME MINISTER: It certainly is, Kieran. This is a once in a generation chance for us to recognise the First Australians in our nation’s Constitution, and to do so in a form in which we’ve been requested by them, when they gathered here at 2017, for the First Nations Constitutional Convention. And the request was a very modest one. It was to have recognition through a Voice, a non-binding advisory committee, that could advise government and the Parliament on matters affecting Indigenous Australians, so that we could get better results. Because we know that when we consult people who are directly affected, you do then get better outcomes. And there’s something else as well, Kieran, you get responsibility for those outcomes. So, there is a sense of history as we approach Saturday, just a few days to go now and I sincerely hope that Australians take this opportunity to vote Yes.
GILBERT: It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen, though. The polling we’ve seen all points to a defeat for Yes. In fact, this polling that Sky News obtained shows that Lingiari, where you are, the seat where Uluru is, looks like it’s going to vote No as well. How damaging has the division within the Indigenous community been to the prospect?
PRIME MINISTER: Kieran, obtained from where? Where was the polling obtained from? The idea that there’s been polling on individual seats, I saw some reports this morning, I mean, frankly, I’ve been in politics a long time and you’ve been reporting on it for a long time. The idea that you have individual seat polling, without any figures or any detail of how many people were contacted, etc, I have seen reports. I’m amazed that they actually get written. That seems to be based on some UK company, based upon modelling without talking to anyone. You know, we’ll wait and see what happens on Saturday. The fact is that the Central Land Council, I’ll be meeting with later today here in Uluru, have all met again on the weekend to support the Yes campaign. There is support from every single Land Council in the Northern Territory, as well as support from the NT Chief Minister, of course, and the NT Government. Like every Premier and Chief Minister, Labor and Coalition, including former Premier Perrottet, across the board, have all supported a Yes campaign. As have every faith group, as well. So, we’ll wait and see when people cast their votes. But I’m confident, when people focus on what this referendum is about, that we can have a successful outcome on Saturday.
GILBERT: You said when you announced that final wording that we’ll feel better about ourselves if we get this done. In fact, you’ve repeated that many times. If it doesn’t get done, there’s going to be a lot of healing to do, isn’t there, in this country? Do you accept that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we’re living in No right now, Kieran, that’s the point. We’re living in a circumstance where there’s an eight-year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia, where there’s a greater chance of an Indigenous young male going to jail than to university. So, we need to do better. And what we’ve been doing is making sure that we deal with issues in a way in which we’ve been requested, by having a constitutional recognition, but through a Voice to Parliament.
GILBERT: Has the campaign relied too much on the heart and not enough on the head to get the detail out there? Have you looked back over the campaign and thought, maybe we should have put more detail out there to placate people, to ease people’s concerns?
PRIME MINISTER: The detail is there, Kieran. The detail is there in the wording being put forward here, in recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first peoples of Australia, is the first part. And then it goes through, there shall be a body to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. And then, secondly, the what it will do, it may make representations on matters to the Parliament and government on matters affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. And then thirdly, to make sure that the primacy of the Parliament is very clear, as well.
GILBERT: On to the Israeli atrocities by Hamas. Are there any Australians that remain unaccounted for?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Kieran, we are working with DFAT consistently. There’s nothing I can add publicly at this time, but we’re working with families, people who have relatives and others in the region, and we’re working through those issues, Kieran. But we remain concerned because there are so many Australians who are visiting the region or who are living in the region.
GILBERT: You didn’t think that pro-Palestinian rally should have gone ahead last night, you said, ‘I absolutely believe the march should not go ahead. People need to really take a step back.’ They didn’t take a step back. The Israeli flag burnt on the steps of the Opera House, anti-Semitic chants. Did that make you feel sick, hearing and seeing the images?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, Kieran, I’ve now seen the images just recently, and they’re horrific, quite clearly slogans which are anti-Semitic and just appalling, with no place. And I did say that that demonstration shouldn’t have gone ahead and I stand by that. We are a tolerant, multicultural nation. I understand that people have deep views about issues relating to the Middle East conflict, but here in Australia, we have to deal with political discourse in a respectful way. And I certainly didn’t see that from the footage that I saw last night, which is one of the reasons why I believe it was just inappropriate for it to go ahead last night.
GILBERT: Indeed. And I guess it was also the fact that it blocked the Jewish community from paying their respects on the day when the Opera House was being illuminated, that too seems intolerable in a vibrant, safe democracy like ours, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have people who are really concerned. I mean, I’ve spoken to people who have friends and family there over the last few days. You know, my heart goes out to people who are going through this difficulty. And we know that the Middle East has been an area of conflict for a considerable period of time. We certainly, I acknowledge Palestinian suffering has occurred over a long period of time, as well. Nothing justifies what we saw on the weekend. Nothing justifies the slaughter of innocent civilians trying to enjoy a music festival. And, you know, this is a difficult time. And it’s a time where people need to accept, behaving in a responsible way. We need to lower the temperature. I don’t want to see conflict here in Australia and I don’t want to see the sort of scenes that I saw last night, that I now have been, I’ve had the opportunity to have a look at just recently. They certainly don’t have a place, Kieran.
GILBERT: No, they don’t. They certainly don’t. Now, Peter Dutton says it’s remarkable that you haven’t convened a National Security Committee of Cabinet to meet on this, to look at the implications for Australia, for our Jewish community and more broadly. What do you say to that critique?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, there is no issue too big for Peter Dutton to not show, once again, how small his view is. His attempt to politicise every issue. We’re receiving appropriate briefings from appropriate officials and agencies. We’re responding appropriately, including giving him a briefing as Leader of the Opposition, from appropriate agencies. I receive a briefing every day on this issue, and we’ll continue to engage appropriately. You know, Kieran, I just think it’s very disappointing that we have an issue like this and Peter Dutton is looking for a political angle here. There’s no political angle here, or shouldn’t be. Why is it that Peter Dutton is always looking to say no and always looking for that political angle? What I’ll look towards is the national interest, which is always my focus.
GILBERT: I know you’ve got a busy afternoon. Just a couple of quick ones before you go. The Greens also, the Greens had a crack at the Parliament, the Presiding Officers, for illuminating the Federal Parliament in blue and white, in solidarity with Israel. Mehreen Faruqi said, ‘One colonial Government supporting another. What a disgrace.’ What do you think of the Greens response in the wake of the atrocity in Israel?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, I just think people trying to play politics with this issue, whether it’s Peter Dutton or the Greens, is just inappropriate. We have seen the slaughter of hundreds of innocent civilians. We’ve seen atrocities committed. There are real issues here, and people should be capable of rising above those issues and just dealing with the issues before us, in a human way. And I just, I am disappointed. Whether it be Peter Dutton or the Greens, looking for these political angles.
GILBERT: And just finally, last question on, we go back to where we started. You’re in the heart of Australia, Uluru. Just a couple of days to go. It feels like it’s historic, regardless of what happens over the next few days. A key moment in this nation’s history, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it is a key moment in the nation’s history. And I just hope that Australia seizes the opportunity to make this request. There’s only upside, no downside, which is why I’m hoping people vote Yes in the referendum.
GILBERT: Prime Minister, thanks for joining us from Uluru. We’ll talk to you soon.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Kieran.