Radio interview - Perth

GERALDINE MELLET, HOST: So, even though the Federal election hasn't been called, the Prime Minister has undeniably started his campaigning. First Queensland, now WA. And he's been appealing to us with his announcements of infrastructure funding to unlock housing in regional areas and then a quick stop in Perth. Before getting into his final day, he made time to talk to us on mornings and I started by asking him about the fires in LA and what aid Australia is offering.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, at this point in time, we haven't had any requests for further. But Australia always stands ready to provide support to our friends in times of need. One of the issues that we have, of course, is we do need to be cognisant of the fact that this is our fire season as well. So, we need to make sure as well that we don't send assets that we quickly need to get back as well. I visited the Grampians fires in Victoria just a couple of weeks ago. And they have got under control, but that's due to the extraordinary work that our emergency services and as well as our volunteers, the SES and other volunteers, have undertaken.

MELLET: Prime Minister, let's turn back to WA, where we're having our election in March. So, that's not ideal timing for a Federal election as well. Recently, our WA Electoral Commissioner said it risks being a very confusing time for voters. Can you give us any clarification about the date, and do you risk voter fatigue?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have an election which is due on or before May. We have that as a fact. That's just something we have to deal with.

MELLET: Do you think it might be confusing? Do you acknowledge, you know, that voters might be like, 'Well, who are the messages coming from?'

PRIME MINISTER: I think Australians will work it out. And one of the things that will be consistent is the message that myself and the Cook Labor Government will give, that is that we both want to build successful industry and jobs here in WA. We both want an energy system based upon renewables and gas rather than a nuclear reactor down at Collie. And we have, of course, as Labor governments, we have common values and we work together closely.

MELLET: In terms of the announcement that you made when you were in the Kimberley about unlocking the water and electricity needed to speed up the housing process, we've heard builders in the Pilbara saying that the cost of the land and the infrastructure isn't the key issue, it's the build price that's significantly more than what you can buy on the market. How do you think your Government can intervene in this to make a difference?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, one of the things we saw in the inflation figures that came out just this week is that there's been moderating of some of those costs, which is a good thing. What we have announced is additional funding for our housing infrastructure. That is, it's not to build the houses, it's to connect the electricity or to connect water supply, or to -

MELLET: Sorry, but this particular builder says that's not, you know, that's welcome, but it's not the key issue, it's the cost, the construction costs. And I'm wondering how you can hope to intervene in that.

PRIME MINISTER: Well, what we can't do is make claims that will solve every issue immediately. What we can do is work on supply issues. Part of those issues goes to labour issues. That's why we've introduced Free TAFE with a particular target on the construction sector as well. That's just one of the measures that we can do to lower costs -

MELLET: Again, very welcome, but it's a long time coming, isn't it?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, you can't solve a decade of neglect - the former government federally didn't even have a Housing Minister for most of the time that they were in office. They have opposed the measures that we have put in place. Now we got two of the measures through the Senate just in the last sitting week. One of those was based upon a WA scheme, the Help to Buy scheme, to help more people in a home ownership. The other was the Build to Rent scheme that the private sector and builders themselves, organisations like the Master Builders and the Property Council, were strong supporters of, which is about increased private rentals and providing an incentive to lower the costs there. In addition to that, of course, we had our Housing Australia Future Fund to increase social housing. All of those were held up in the Senate where we only have 25 out of 76 votes, unfortunately. And that combination of the Coalition and the Greens blocked those measures for a long period of time. Fortunately now, the legislation has now finally been passed in December. But we'll be putting those measures in place into our second term.

MELLET: I guess it's about right now. And you're facing an election, I would suggest, on cost of living crisis and housing was the two of the key issues. On the night you were elected, you said every parent wants more for the next generation. But with housing less affordable than it's been in decades and rents at record highs, no matter how long this has been in the making, so many people are locked out, particularly in Perth and WA, they're struggling to find a rental. Is this the knife edge for you in this election? Because people will be saying, you know, 'I am worse off'.

PRIME MINISTER: You know what they'll be saying? They'll be saying that the Labor Government has done what it can, including not just the measures I've spoken about, whether it's increased social housing, increased assistance to get people into home ownership or increased private rentals. Because the key, of course, is supply. We've also increased rental assistance two years in a row. A total combination of a 45 per cent increase in rental assistance. That comes on top of the other cost of living measures that we've put in place, whether it be a tax cut for every taxpayer, cheaper child care, Free TAFE, cheaper medicines, including 60-day dispensing. All of these measures we have put in place. And all of them have been opposed by the Coalition.

MELLET: And I understand that. But I think at the end of the day, even though you are out there, you are doing things, and we're not disputing that. But when people are hurting, when they can't find a place to even rent, when they are locked out of the market for so many years before they can, you know, save up for enough for a deposit, if they can, what they're thinking about is right now. And I'm suggesting that that is going to be a major issue for you in the election, isn't it, to convince them otherwise?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're acting. And people understand that you can't on the 10th of January say, 'I'm going to build a house', and that house is built and opened on the 11th of January. People understand that. And politicians shouldn't suggest things that are not attainable. What we have done is do measures to increase supply across the board, whether it be social housing, private rental or increased home ownership. All of those measures have been important. In addition to that, we've provided that cost of living relief and we've produced not just one but two budget surpluses in order to put that downward pressure on inflation, which now has a two in front of it, which when we were elected had a six in front of it. And those measures are all about the hard work that we have done to repair the economy and to put things on a far more solid footing. We've built those foundations in our first term. And we want to build on that. We know there's more to do. We understand that people are under financial pressure. That's why we've made difficult decisions -

MELLET: Not only under financial pressure, if I may, but also struggling to find a home, struggling to keep the home if they've got the home. And when they're under that kind of pressure, and I appreciate what you said, it takes time, but right now, when they're making a decision about who to go with, do you acknowledge that this is going to factor into their thinking?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I acknowledge that there is cost of living pressure. That's why we've acted, Geraldine. That's why we've acted. It's not easy to turn a $78 billion Liberal deficit into a $22 billion Labor surplus. That is what we have done. And we've done it in a way as well, while designing cost of living relief in a way that has put that downward pressure on inflation whilst providing more dollars in people's pockets. Not just the measures in terms of tax cuts for every single worker, every single taxpayer. But now we have real wages have increased four quarters in a row. And that is in stark contrast with what occurred under the former government, which had low wage growth as a key feature of their economic architecture. It wasn't by accident, it was by design that wages were not keeping up with inflation. We have turned that around. And that is something that I think we will continue to argue our case, but we won't say 'job done' because we don't think it is. We will say there's more to do. And that is why we'll continue to do measures such as, you spoke about young people getting into housing. One of the things that we have done already is to announce the 20 per cent taking off every student's debt. Now, that has already - we've taken $3 billion off already taken off student debt - we'll do more with that 20 per cent decrease.

MELLET: If I may, I know you've got limited time with us and I would like to get to couple of last points. There are many Australian exporters, particularly in WA, watching very nervously to see whether President Trump is going to make real his threat of huge tariffs for countries, including Australia. I'm wondering if he goes through with it, what is your plan to counter it?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, our plan is to make sure that we continue to have the trade arrangements that we have with the United States under our Free Trade Agreement. The United States has a surplus with Australia. And therefore there's an understandable argument that I'm sure if I put to the United States, I'm sure will be understood there that it is in the United States' interest to continue to have that relationship with Australia.

MELLET: Sure.

PRIME MINISTER: One of the things my Government is very proud of, very proud of, is repairing the relationship with China. One of the things we've done in lobster. I was up at Geraldton, for example. Since Christmas Day, there has been 565,000 kilos of lobster have landed in China, of which 760 individual consignments. Now, that's a direct result of the hard work, the diplomacy that we have done, which has benefited particularly WA.

MELLET: And I salute you for that. I think the exporters would. We spoke to a fisherman recently. Other countries beside China, and China is obviously the big one, but other countries that you are nurturing closer relations, trade relationships with, you know, as an addition, so that we are not so reliant on the US.

PRIME MINISTER: We want trade with the world and that is what we have done. The work that we've done, not just with China and now in areas like whether it's lobster along the coast in Geraldton, whether it be wines from Margaret River, whether it be beef exports from the Pilbara and the Kimberley, whether it be our iron ore and other assets as well, what we have had is more than $20 billion of benefit just there. But also the agreements that we've put in place, the UK agreement, has led to a massive increase in our exports of particularly agricultural products there as well. And at the end of last year, the deal that we have done with the United Arab Emirates, the free trade deal, is an outstanding one. It will result in that being a gateway to the Middle East and will have significant benefit as well. So, we understand. We want diversification, we want to trade with the world. We have the best products in the world and many of them come from this great state of WA.

MELLET: Prime Minister, let's talk about mining for a sec. You've been reaching out to miners with the critical minerals tax incentive, which you say is based on their success. Now, the CEO of the Minerals Council of Australia has said that this is incorrect. She says that the incentive is designed as a refundable tax credit so that payments are made regardless of whether a company generates a profit. Can you give us a clarification on this?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, have a look at the comments of AMEC and the way that it's designed. A production tax credit does reward success. It encourages investment. And that's why it has such enormous support across the resources sector, particularly here in WA. It's been designed by a great West Australian in Madeleine King has done the work on it. If there are practical suggestions, that can be put forward of any improvements in legislation. That's why you have a process. But this has been done in consultation, close consultation, over a period of time. It is a really important measure which will assist WA and particularly assist new industries that are emerging in critical minerals and in rare earths. And that's why the industries involved there are so supportive.

MELLET: The ACCC report shows that southern states are going to have to rely on Queensland for gas. Given you're here in WA today, what do you think about the idea of building a pipeline from WA to help this out?

PRIME MINISTER: Look, we will work through all of those issues. There, of course, a range of projects as well, including in Queensland and in Northern NSW. We will work through those issues. One of the things we won't be doing is building a nuclear reactor in Collie, which is not part of any serious proposition regarding energy security. We think that renewables with storage, with gas, are very important. Gas plays an important role in manufacturing, which is why we're very supportive and why we announced, through Madeleine King, our Future Gas Strategy as well, going forward.

MELLET: Prime Minister, I know you've got to go, but just finally, if you are elected for another term, are we going to see more WA Ministers at the Cabinet table?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, what we want is more WA members, and that leads to more WA Ministers. Recently, of course, I promoted additional WA representation, and that's a good thing. And can I say that a couple of elections ago, we had a completely new team, just about, with retirements that had occurred. The people who've been elected, including Tracey Roberts, who I'll be with very soon, but the four seats that we won are all represented by outstanding new members. And we have awesome candidates, including Trish Cook, who I was with yesterday at the Urgent Care Clinic where she used to work as a nurse. No one better than a nurse to represent Bullwinkel. And nothing says WA like a nurse who worked in the offshore resources industry and up in the Pilbara, which is what Trish Cook did.

MELLET: Prime Minister, I know you've got a hugely busy day and you've been very generous with your time. Thank you for talking to us.

PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Geraldine.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.