SUBJECTS: Net zero by 2050; Coalition Government focused on themselves and their pay; climate change; Newspoll; Federal election.

MARCUS PAUL, HOST: Albo, good morning to you.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Good morning, Marcus.

PAUL: Nice to chat. All right. Well, yesterday, apparently, they came to some sort of deal. Barnaby Joyce, they had another one of their meetings. And Barnaby emerged with Bridget McKenzie and others to say that, 'Yes, we've come up with a solution or a deal, but we won't tell you the detail just yet, we're here to speak to Scott Morrison about it'. And tomorrow we'll find out the fine print, Albo.

ALBANESE: Well, the pantomime is finally over. There was always going to be an agreement for net zero by 2050. The Nationals quite like staying in the Cabinet. And it was always going to be the case. But we've been through this facade for such a long period of time now that it's hard for Australians, I think, to believe that suddenly the country led by someone who said that electric vehicles would end the weekend, that batteries for renewables were as useful as the Big Banana or the Big Prawn, that renewable energy targets were nuts, suddenly this Government is going to take action seriously on climate change. And net zero by 2050 is basically the admission ticket to the conference in Glasgow for advanced countries like Australia. But we've just seen this dragging out and out and out. And I just think Australians are entitled to shake their head at what deals have been done that they're not allowed to even know about.

PAUL: Well, Leader of the Nationals in the Senate, Bridget McKenzie, said this, Anthony:

BRIDGET MCKENZIE, LEADER OF THE NATIONAL PARTY IN THE SENATE: It is not just agriculture, it is not just mining communities, it is the poorest electorates in the country. And we've taken that role very, very seriously in all our interventions over the years, shall we say. And we've been able to grow mining and agricultural exports over the last decade while simultaneously lowering emissions in this country. That's something we should be proud of.

PAUL: See, I'm not understanding. What does she mean by ‘interventions’? Because she searched for a moment for that word. I don't quite understand it. That's what concerns me.

ALBANESE: Well, this is a Government led by people who don't like each other, who don't have a real clear plan for the future. They're scared of the present, but they're terrified of the future. And government's role is to shape the future, along with the community, to talk with them honestly about change that's happening, to make sure that people aren't left behind during that process. And the Nationals have been in denial for such a long period of time. And the truth is that the emissions reductions that have occurred in Australia have been primarily due to changes in land clearing, and they are changes that the National Party is hostile to.

PAUL: They say in a report today that Resources Minister Keith Pitt is set to be elevated to Cabinet under a deal between the Prime Minister and Nationals Leader, Barnaby Joyce, that will see the Nationals sign up to the 2050 net zero target. Of course, Mr Pitt was originally demoted to the outer ministry by Barnaby Joyce and has been one of the toughest critics of a rush to embrace the 2050 target, and a very strong advocate of the coal industry's future. He's not called 'Coal Pitt' for no reason. What do you make of this?

ALBANESE: Well, it is extraordinary, isn't it? A debate that is supposed to be about the future of the planet, that's about the future of our economy and jobs and how we get clean energy, apparently, one of the key things that it was about that we all missed was it was about Keith Pitt getting an increase in his pay by being put in the Cabinet. It is just beyond belief, really. If that is one of the things that comes out of this process, is a promotion for an individual in order to secure their support, then that says it all about the real problem at the heart of this Government, which is that it is all about itself, it's all about its own interests, not about the interests of the Australian public.

PAUL: Well, Barnaby Joyce himself said that one of the focuses of the Nationals was to obtain safeguards for regional Australia in the plan to move to net zero. I'll play a little of what Barnaby's had to say. And then a question on that. I mean, he said regional people were now in a vastly better position than they were before they started the negotiations. Here is Barnaby and what he had to say yesterday.

BARNABY JOYCE, LEADER OF THE NATIONAL PARTY: All those people in regional Australia, we will be going into bat for them as we always do. And we look forward to the outcome of the Cabinet submission that is coming forward and making sure that what we have negotiated is in the submission, so we have a process of a firm commitment once more on our behalf to regional Australia. 

PAUL: I mean, I don't understand. You're going to have people like Matt Canavan. He'll continue to oppose net zero. And others are publicly enthusiastic about this decision. Darren Chester, for instance, posted on Facebook that Sunday has been a very good day for the future of regional Australia. But they're not saying anything that you haven't said. I saw you on the television last night when you were quizzed about coal mining. You very clearly said, which is something that I've always talked about on this program, it is not like if we're going to close down every single coal mine in Australia tomorrow or even in the next year or two years, you said we need to keep the lights on because it's important as we transition. And that's what this debate is all about, Anthony. It's not about immediately destroying mining industries and destroying regional communities reliant on the mining sector. It's about a transition. That word, transition. It's very important in this debate.

ALBANESE: The National Party putting up fake debate and then arguing against themselves, effectively. Barnaby Joyce, for him to talk about the regions, there's a renewable energy zone in New England. It's been put there by the Coalition Government in New South Wales. Liberal and National Party. It is leading to just billions of dollars of investment in that region, creating jobs, lowering energy prices, making a difference. And this bloke is opposed to it. He is opposed to the renewable energy zone in his own region of New England that's been put there by the New South Wales Coalition Government. You couldn't make this stuff up. Barnaby Joyce, having spent years just being a destructive force, has found himself as the Deputy Prime Minister. The other reports from yesterday's meeting is that, at the end of it all, he said he didn't agree to it. That was his final contribution. Now, if he didn't agree to it, guess what? When Scott Morrison gets on his plane and goes to Europe on Thursday, Barnaby Joyce will be acting Prime Minister. He will be the bloke in charge. And that should be a real concern to all of your listeners. Because this guy has a record of never actually doing anything constructive, just trying to tear things down.

PAUL: All right, before I let you go, Anthony, I know you don't place much credence in opinion polls. But it is a Newspoll day. Labor has widened its two-party lead over the Coalition, 54 to 46 per cent in the latest Newspoll compared to 53-47 three weeks ago. The Coalition's primary vote has fallen two points to 35 per cent. It is Scott Morrison and his Government's lowest level this term. Now, also, importantly, in this poll published today in The Australian, it found 47 per cent of voters thought the Government should prioritise meeting emissions reduction targets, compared to 40 per cent who thought lower energy bills should be the priority. So, there's been a big shift not only in climate policy, but for your mob as well, a shift toward, well, perhaps a brighter future.

ALBANESE: Well, the poll that matters is the one on polling day. Politicians do look at polls, but we know that it doesn't really matter. What matters is the vision that I've had is to make sure that we're ahead on polling day. That's been my task, and that we prepare for a good period of government with good solid policies for a future made in Australia, for improving the lives of working families and for dealing with more secure work for Australians. And part of achieving that is dealing with the challenge of climate change, which of course, is a challenge, but it's also an incredible opportunity for us to create jobs and for us to emerge from this process as a renewable energy superpower.

PAUL: All right, you said last week, perhaps when Scott Morrison returns from Glasgow, he may call an early election, perhaps as early as December. Are you still prepared for that?

ALBANESE: We will be prepared for that. I think today's poll would make that a very brave call for him to make. But we're prepared for December 11, if he chooses to do so, and end the conflict and actually give Australia the opportunity to have a Government that wants to govern in their interests of the people rather than themselves. Then I welcome him calling an election if he does.

PAUL: Good to have you on. Thank you, Anthony. We'll talk again in the next couple of weeks.

ALBANESE: Thanks very much, Marcus.

ENDS