SUBJECTS: Labor’s plans to protect the Great Barrier Reef, Labor’s plan’s for climate action and renewable energy, Labor’s plans for a Future Made in Australia.
 
MURRAY JONES, HOST: My special guest in studio this morning, Leader of the Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition, Albo. Good morning, welcome to Cairns! 

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Good morning Murray, Good to be here.

JONES: You brought some sunshine again, we've had heaps of rain in the last couple of days.

ALBANESE: I can't quite take credit for it, I got in last night. And it looks like it's going to be a ripper of a day today.

JONES: And you're heading out on the Great Barrier Reef. That's what you do when you're in Cairns.

ALBANESE: We are, we’ll take the media out there. And we're talking, of course about climate change. It's a challenge, but it's an opportunity. The good thing about acting on climate change is it will create jobs, it will create economic activity. But we do need to preserve this magnificent reef, this magnificent environment you have here in tropical North Queensland, and we need to protect it for future generations.

JONES: I've got an 18, nearly 19-year old lad that said, Dad, we're heading out on the reef tomorrow, the weather's getting better, so we're following you out there as well.

ALBANESE: Good stuff. Well, we've got today, we've got an additional $194 million for protection of the reef, on top of what has been previously committed. And we'll also be talking today about our Saving Native Species Program. This is a $224 million program to work with states and territories on national conservation strategy, particularly for koalas, but as well for fighting yellow crazy ants here in Cairns and Townsville, for making sure that we protect our native species.

JONES: Now, there has been comments made. And I think it was an editorial that I saw a few days ago, saying that conservation is something that hasn't really been focused on. You know, this is I guess, not directly conservation. But obviously, in those spheres. You know, when it comes to the Great Barrier Reef, the number of jobs - 64,000 jobs rely on the Great Barrier Reef. And as I said at the beginning there-

ALBANESE: And even more indirectly of course.

JONES: Sure, sure. But you know, the penny is starting to drop, people are starting to realise the value of the Great Barrier Reef. You'd also said that that $443 million that has been allocated to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, or sorry, the Conservation actually, I've just forgotten the name of-

ALBANESE: The Foundation.

 JONES: The Foundation, that was the one.

ALBANESE: That was the one where they walked into a meeting, didn't ask for anything, and walked out with $444 million.

JONES: And you're talking about clawing, you know, you were talking about clawing some of that back, if it has not at this stage been properly, you know, properly allocated.

ALBANESE: Yes, and we will, but spend it on conservation here, spend it on protecting the reef. That was an extraordinary –

JONES: Sure.

ALBANESE: The fact that you could have a meeting that didn't last very long, and to walk out with that amount of funding. It's just we can do better than that in this country. We need to plan policy properly, we need to plan conservation, properly. Work with state and local government, work with community organisations, work with those people who know what's going on, on the reef and other areas as well, and make sure that every dollar of taxpayer’s money is well spent on making a difference. One of the things that we're announcing today as well is delivering up to one thousand full time Landcare rangers across the country, they play such an important role. They get, you really get value for money out of Landcare rangers. And that is really important as well.

JONES: And look, purely from a position of Indigenous employment, and of course bringing them back to their roots of country, that's got to be a really positive thing.

ALBANESE: We can learn a lot from the way that First Nations people manage their country. We learned that during the bushfires down south you know, the management and relationship between us walking on this earth and what we walk on, and what we swim in or fish in, is so important and First Nations people can teach us a lot, we should respect that. And we should we should cherish it to be an asset, which it is.

JONES: It certainly is. And look, you know what we're talking about, the commitment now from Labor, this additional $194.5 million in reef protection programs over the forward estimates, but it's on top of existing programs that will bring the total investment to 2030 to almost $1.2 billion. That is significant, but there's no doubt in this part of the world, that type of attention is very much appreciated because we've only got one chance with the Reef. If we lose it, the economic impact for this part of the world will be absolutely devastating.

ALBANESE: Exactly. And it's important. It's important that people get to see the reef, it's just magnificent in its beauty. It's unique. It's one of the great ecosystems of the world. 

JONES: Sure.

ALBANESE: But it also is an economic asset, and for the tourism sector here, and for the whole of Australia, basically - because what happens is, people come to Australia, in part to see the Great Barrier Reef.

JONES: Sure.

ALBANESE: They come to Cairns, they go to Port Douglas, they spend money while they're here, and they go back as ambassadors for Australia. And that's why it's so important for our economy, as well as being important for our environment.

JONES: Let's look forward a little bit. And I saw a really interesting, and it was, I guess, a realisation, whether I liked it or not with, respect to, it was actually on Four Corners, actually, on Monday night. Rare-earths, things like lithium, things like cobalt that we need to actually build our new economy when it comes to renewables, solar panels, mobile phones, the whole lot. We have a terrific resource here in Australia, for national security, instead of the resources going to China, and us having to rely on China, who could pull supply at any time. I found it hard to understand, but I guess when you really consider it, the fact is, and it was a very compelling story, is that we actually have to do more mining here in Australia. For national security, and of course, for our own resources as we move into the new economy. That in some ways, mining as we know, unless it's done very well, it does work counterproductive to climate change in in some ways, and also with respect to conservation. Do you accept that we actually do have to do more mining here in Australia?

ALBANESE: Not only do we need to do more mining of rare-earths, we need to value-add here, is the key. Value-adding, not digging up our resources and just exporting them, that's important, that will play a role into the future. But where we can, we need to value-add here in Australia, to create the jobs here and to create the self-reliance here. It's something that I know Elida Faith here is very passionate about, creating jobs here in in Cairns and in the region. Because yesterday as an example, I had a major announcement in Gladstone about working with the Queensland Government for a Battery Manufacturing Precinct. Now we have nickel, we have lithium, we have copper, we have everything that goes into a battery, we should make them here, rather than export everything overseas, see the value added and then import it back once the value has been added. That is a part of a Future Made in Australia, one of the four big planks I have at this election. The four themes - strengthen Medicare, more secure work, making sure we address living standards, and making things here in Australia combined to a better future for Australia. We have these great assets here, not just in terms of our resources, in minerals and rare-earths, but also our human resources, our skills and our smarts. We need to train Australians for those jobs. But also, of course, we have the best solar resources in the world. 

JONES: Sure.

ALBANESE: And one of the best wind resources. Now, I've been to major farms in this region, like Big Kennedy, Little Kennedy, like the Kidston project, these are all exciting projects, creating energy here for the region, but we need to make sure we make more things here. We have more solar panels on roofs, as a percentage of the population, than anywhere on earth. All of the intellectual property, any solar panel in the world, has intellectual property that was developed at universities in Australia, but we make so few of them here. 

JONES: Sure. A lost opportunity. 

ALBANESE: We need to do better than that. We need to learn from the mistakes of the past, and make sure we get it right, and create those jobs and that value right here in Australia. 

JONES: Before we wrap up this morning, two questions. Firstly, last night on TV, I saw a youth saying that by 2050, we're talking about net zero emissions by 2050. A young woman, and she said, you know, the people, the men, you know, often that are behind what's happening here and this initiative, you know, I'll be 82 in 2050. And so from her perspective, she said, all the people that are actually designing and doing this thing, they're going to be dead by 2050. So they don't really care. And I thought that was a really an unusual point. And I'd never thought about that about it from that perspective, from a young woman. What would you say to that young woman?

ALBANESE: I would say that we do need to act on climate change as an absolute priority, in the interests of the generation today, but for her generation, and ones to come. That's why we have a 2030 target of 43 per cent. That's why we will take climate change action seriously. And our plan will end the climate wars, we've had ten years of division and inaction from a government that has not taken climate change seriously. We will through our Powering Australia Plan a create 604,000 jobs on the way through, $52 billion of private sector investment. Five out of every six of those jobs will be in regional Australia. If we act on climate change, it will be good for the environment, but it will also be so good for jobs and we need to get serious now. And that's why our plan is backed by the Business Council, by the National Farmers Federation, as well as the ACTU. People on the 21st of May have an opportunity, to end the absurd debate that began with the election of the Abbott government and has continued within the so-called Coalition. That, it’s a coalition of inaction, is what it is, because it's just a handbrake on activity. And we can do better, and a government I lead will do better.

JONES: Rewind three years ago. And look, you know, I do want to know whether it's haunting you, I have heard in the last couple of days, and you maybe you've seen it as well, even the media has been a bit nicer to you the last couple of days, they're starting to warm to Albo. But as we saw, all the polls pointing towards a win for Bill Shorten three years ago, obviously, you're in the poll position at this time. But is it a bit haunting, because of what happened? And of course, you know, everything fell over on the line for Bill Shorten. Have you still got that confidence? Or is it a monkey on your shoulder?

ALBANESE: The only poll that counts is on the 21st of May. I know people are voting early, as of the end of today, there would have been, will be, more than 1 million people will have pre-polled. So a lot of people are voting now. There’s, at least 2.2 million people have applied for postal votes. But people are voting and they'll continue to do so over the next -where are we now? Eight days to go. But it's a mountain to climb. Labor has won government three times from Opposition since the Second World War. And if we're going to change the government, and get a better future, and develop plans that deal with climate change, that deal with the skills crisis, that deal with the cost of living crisis, where everything's going up except for people's wages, I need people to vote for Elida Faith here, in the electorate of Leichhardt. It's as simple as that. And Elida ran last time. So she's had, she's kept running, since 2019. She would make a fantastic local member. I get on quite well with Warren Entsch. So nothing personal in this, but you know, we need a better government in this country. And Elida Faith will be a part of that. 

JONES: It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. And I think many youth are actually focusing on that. And that's maybe going to be one of the unknown quantities on the 21st of May. Anthony
Albanese, welcome to Cairns. Anything that protects the Great Barrier Reef has got to be a good thing, we don't care where it comes from. Have a wonderful day. Enjoy the reef and thanks for coming and seeing us in the flesh this morning. Cheers.

ALBANESE: Thanks very much, Murray and thanks to all your listeners.

ENDS