SUBJECTS: Covid recovery; Labor’s campaign launch in Western Australia; Power prices; Cost of living pressures; Labor’s policy agenda; Election debates.
 
MICHAEL ROWLAND, HOST: Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese is this morning out of isolation and back on the Federal Election campaign trail, his first destination will be Perth. But before he jumps to the plane, he joins us now from Sydney. Mr Albanese, good morning, and how you feeling?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Good morning, Michael. Well, it's good to be out of iso. It's a beautiful sunny day here in Marrickville. And myself and my dog, Toto, we've been in iso for seven days. And she's appreciative of the walk. And I'm appreciative of the fresh air that I'm able to get. So, I just want to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their well wishes, both people at the ABC, but also your listeners. 

ROWLAND: Now, your doctor has advised you as doctors advise lots of COVID patients to take it easy in the days ahead. Practically speaking, though, I mean, we're talking about high stress environments, election campaigns, what does taking it easy mean for you on the ground?

ALBANESE: Well, it's all relative, I guess, in terms of what I have to do. So today, this morning, I've got a round of interviews, the doctors advise that when I'm feeling tired, which he advises, and others tell me is the case that I'll continue to feel tired and a bit fatigued, particularly over the next week, that I need to be conscious about that, I need to rest when I can, and just be a bit sensible. It's no use not looking after your health. There's still three and a bit weeks to go in this campaign. But he's also advised that each and every day, if I get that rest, I'll feel better. And I certainly feel much better today than I did yesterday. I feel good, really good today. And I felt better yesterday than I did the day before. And the same thing a day before that. So, for me, the peak was around day three and four of iso. But now I'm feeling good. It's good to be out and about and later today, this morning, I'll be traveling to Perth in line with our campaign launch on Sunday. That will be the first time there's ever been a national campaign launch in Perth. It underlines to us that I want to represent the entire country, including people in Western Australia. And it's about time that the West got such a big event during a Federal election campaign. 

ROWLAND: The entire country, whether you're living in Perth, Adelaide, Darwin, Brisbane, wherever, is facing high power prices at the moment. Just before coming to you we were reporting on the warning from the energy market operator of that huge increase in wholesale prices, 141% compared to this time, last year. Now I know Labor has promised to by 2025 bring power prices down by close to $300 a year. But really is that enough? Because we are talking about big international factors here that could swap even promises like that.

ALBANESE: Well, our plan, Michael, that we've had out, as you know, since December, is based upon the Australian Energy Market Operator’s work and their integrated systems plan to bring transmission into the 21st century. We know that Australia has the capacity to be a renewable energy superpower for the world. And if we get this right, if we fix the grid, if we do other measures that we've got in place, as part of our Powering Australia plan, we will see those energy prices drop by $275 by 2025. At the same time, we have a plan for cheaper childcare, we have a plan to lift wages, we have a plan to grow the economy, through productivity, through the National Broadband Network, through our National Reconstruction Fund with new industries. What we actually need is an economic plan so that the economy works for people not the other way around. This government are happy to claim credit anytime something goes okay. But as soon as things don't, they look to blame someone else and not accept responsibility. We will accept responsibility, we will step up and recognise that people are doing it really tough, people out there know that the cost of everything is going up, but their wages aren't. And that's a fundamental problem that has been presided over by this government over the last decade, and they say that low wage growth is a key feature of their economic architecture. This isn't bad policy or bad luck. This is bad policy.

ROWLAND: We're running short on time, a couple of other issues, election debates, the Prime Minister says he wants to do two more and he's nominated channels Seven and Nine effectively in the next week and a bit, would you agree to that?

ALBANESE: Well, I think the national broadcaster can have a role here as well, Michael, and the Prime Minister thinks that he is the only person who has a say in this. The National Secretaries of the Liberal Party and Labor Party should sit down, work these issues through, like adults. I do think the idea that the ABC would be excluded from any participation is rather extraordinary, and that is the suggestion being made by Scott Morrison, I'm not quite sure what he's got against the ABC, I guess he's part of a government that cut funding for the ABC, and even our sensible suggestion of increasing ABC broadcasting into the region so we get Australia's voice in the Pacific was ridiculed by this Prime Minister. I find his actions quite extraordinary. I think I'm up for more debates, we've had one debate, it's one, nil up to now. And that was at a time and date of his choosing. But he can't get to choose the entire process. And we should also have a debate at the National Press Club, as that has always happened during election campaigns.

ROWLAND: Would you commit to two more debates, regardless of where they are? And of course, you know, we'd clearly love one on the ABC, but would you commit to two more debates with the Prime Minister?

ALBANESE: I'm up for more debates, Michael. But I'm not up for the Prime Minister deciding when, who, how that all occurs. We both need to be involved in this process, and the Labor Party needs to be engaged. So, I'm certainly up for more debates. It's unfortunate that this week, obviously, I've been in seven days iso, but we have schedules going forward as well, including scheduled appearances on ABC programs that I've committed to, and one of the things that I don't do is ever break commitments that I make.

ROWLAND: Anthony Albanese, appreciate your time this morning. Thanks for joining us.

ALBANESE: Thanks very much, Michael. Have a great day.

ENDS