SUBJECTS: Voter ID suppression laws; Australia’s relationship with Taiwan; Australia’s relationship with China; Labor’s pledge for a Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Commissioner.
 
BEN FORDHAM, HOST: A lot of arguments going on in Federal Parliament. That's very normal. But there's one argument I just don't get. The Coalition is trying to introduce a basic measure to stop voter fraud. People would be required to show a form of ID before voting. But the Labor Party is opposed to it. They've even declared it racist, even though the policy would apply to everyone, regardless of skin colour, regardless of where they come from. So, the Prime Minister will have to rely on the vote of the Nationals MP George Christensen who has gone rogue. I am told this morning George Christensen will support it. But I can't understand why Anthony Albanese, the Labor Leader is against it. He's on the line. Anthony Albanese, good morning to you.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: G'day, Ben. Good to be with you.
 
FORDHAM: Do you think it's racist?
 
ALBANESE: This is a solution looking for a problem, Ben. And it's straight out of the US far-right Republican playbook, which is to make it more difficult to vote. Not a single person, not one, was prosecuted after the 2019 election. We should be proud of our electoral system that we have in Australia. It's the best in the world. We have one vote, one value at the federal level, all the seats have the same number of people eligible to vote. And all of the concern here is why is this being raised? The AEC have said that no significant issues at all. And as I said, not a single person was prosecuted after the 2019 election or the 2016 election. And voter suppression laws are something that have been prevalent in the United States in order to try to suppress the number of people who exercise their democratic rights.
 
FORDHAM: When you talk about 2016, 18,000 people voted twice in 2016. Two voters went to 11 different polling booths. And you say one vote, one value. Why don't we protect that one vote, one value, and make sure that everyone who's voting is only voting once?
 
ALBANESE: Well, the fact is, Ben, that when the AEC goes through and they examine the issues that are raised, what they've found is overwhelmingly the number of cases of multiple voting are the case of someone who's exercised a postal vote and then they vote again on the day. They forget that they've voted, an elderly person is overwhelmingly the people who've been identified here. But that's why the AEC haven't called for this measure. The Australian Electoral Commission operate polls independently. And in places like, it's been very clear, we do think this is a very much at voter suppression in the state of Lingiari, in remote communities, where in terms of forms of voter ID, people simply don't have them, there is an issue with getting people to vote, getting people on the roll is an issue as well. And the AEC haven't identified this. Why is it that this so-called solution is being found for something that is not a problem?
 
FORDHAM: Well, you say it's not a problem, it was a problem 18,000 times at the 2016 election. You can't go to the post office and pick up a parcel without showing your ID. You can't go into a local club and go and get a schnitzel. So, why should you be able to vote?
 
ALBANESE: Ben, 18,000, some of those could be just error.
 
FORDHAM: Well, why not fix up the error?
 
ALBANESE: Ben Fordham, because you have people on the polling booth as you go in, when you go in if you've got Ben, I am not sure what your middle name is.
 
FORDHAM: Benjamin Thomas Fordham.
 
ALBANESE: Benjamin Thomas Fordham, and someone's ticked off Benjamin Thomas Fordham and just above that is Benjamin Stephen Fordham, and they've crossed off Benjamin Stephen rather than Benjamin Thomas by mistake. And that is what a whole lot of the counts have been found, as well. The AEC do these investigations. There is no suggests that in Australia we have anything other than free and fair elections.
 
FORDHAM: So, why not make it watertight? India has got voter ID, Canada, Sweden, France, Belgium, many parts of America. I don't know why we'd be stuck in the stone age. And I don't know why this would be a hill that you want to die on.
 
ALBANESE: Well, we're opposed to this because we are concerned about what the motivation is. And we believe this is straight out of voter suppression, which you'd be aware of, you follow US politics. And you know, full well, that in the United States, particularly amongst right-wing Republicans, there have been a range of strategies exercised to make it more difficult to vote, which have resulted in voter suppression, particularly from minority communities.
 
FORDHAM: I think you can focus on America. I think Australians are more worried about Australia. And they just think this makes sense. If I've got to show my ID when I'm going to order a beer, or going into a club, or picking up a parcel, it makes sense that I would show ID when casting a vote. Why don't we have a watertight system? Can you just tell me yes or no whether you agree with the Labor MP Warren Snowdon that this is racism?
 
ALBANESE: Well, I use my own words, Ben. But it is aimed at voter suppression and will have an impact particularly on the number of Indigenous people in the seat of Lingiari, his seat that he knows, and he understands on the ground. And he is saying he is concerned about those people in remote communities having their right to vote.
 
FORDHAM: Let me ask you about another issue because we won't agree on that one. China. Are you getting any advice from Paul Keating, the former Prime Minister, on the way we approach China? Has he been contacting you and offering advice?
 
ALBANESE: No.
 
FORDHAM: Penny Wong has said in the last 24 hours that Peter Dutton's views on China and Taiwan are the most dangerous election tactic in Australian history. But it seems to me that all Peter Dutton is saying is if America goes into protect Taiwan in the event that they need protection, that we will be by America's side.
 
ALBANESE: Well, have a look at what President Biden's actually said. I'd rather listen to President Biden about America's position than Peter Dutton. And just in recent days, again, President Biden, along with Tsai Ing-Wen, the Leader of Taiwan, and I've met both of them, have said that they support the status quo. They've been very careful in their language. All governments have had the same position on Taiwan, the Howard Government through the Labor Government, the Abbott Government, all the way through. And that is what Penny Wong was referring to here. It seems to me that in some cases, members of the Morrison Government, including Peter Dutton, are just always looking for an argument rather than a solution. They're always looking to divide. And President Biden, of course, is someone who has, in recent times, engaged on this issue. And I agree with his comments which are consistent with what Penny Wong was saying.
 
FORDHAM: You're talking about America a lot this morning.
 
ALBANESE: I am. I think that America plays an important role as the democratic leader of international relations.
 
FORDHAM: Paul Keating didn't phone you to talk to you about the deal that we did on nuclear submarines with the UK and the US, is that right?
 
ALBANESE: I've had no discussion with Paul Keating on those issues.
 
FORDHAM: Okay. All right. I'm glad you cleared that up. Now, just before we go, something we can agree on. You are pledging $153 million today towards domestic violence, including a commissioner. What would the commissioner do?
 
ALBANESE: Well, the Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Commissioner would be appointed to work and coordinate action across not just state and territory governments but also with non-government organisations to address this scourge of domestic violence that, of course, has increased during COVID tragically. We would also appoint 500 new community sector workers. This is something that really needs addressing. It comes on top of our commitments to create 4,000 social housing units for women and children escaping domestic violence, and an additional $100 million that we will contribute for emergency housing. Ben, last night, like every single night in Australia, women and children escaping these circumstances would have slept in a car, or in a park, or couch-surfed at a friend's place, because they simply had nowhere to go. We need to do much better.
 
FORDHAM: We'll look out to the announcement today. Thanks for jumping on the line.
 
ALBANESE: Thanks, Ben.
 
FORDHAM: Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese.
 
ENDS