SUBJECTS: Failures of the Morrison Government during COVID-19; Labor’s policy agenda; rapid antigen tests.
 
LEON BYNER, HOST: Whilst our unemployment rate is relatively low, it is clear that local workers can afford to be picky on the employment they choose. So, I think it's fair to say that job snobbery is alive and well. Australia needs workers in many different and varied sectors. The reluctance of many to do some of the less sexy jobs ultimately will mean that we just have to import labour. There's no other choice. As it stands, no government is going to turn around and force workers to take specific jobs. That just won't happen. Then when you add a global pandemic to this, it means that Australia has less contingency plans to keep supply chains alive. These are all the things that we would normally take for granted. How often have you seen supermarket and shop shelves stripped bare recently? Up until what, a few months ago, you just wouldn't see it. Let's talk to Federal Opposition Leader, Anthony Albanese. Anthony, have you had the same supermarket experience?
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Indeed, I have.
 
BYNER: What do we need to do?
 
ALBANESE: Look, what we need to do is to plan for things that are needed in the labour market, in terms of we will create Jobs and Skills Australia. So, just as we plan for investment in roads and railway lines, etc, we need to plan for where will the jobs be of the future, and make sure that we train Australians for them. So, we will have, for example, 465,000 free TAFE places in areas skill shortage. We will have 20,000 additional university places. These are good, well-paid jobs and careers that we can have for people. But Australia has become too reliant upon temporary migration. Temporary migration will continue to play a role. And of course, it's important to fill short-term gaps. But we know that in a range of blue-collar jobs, in engineering, plumbing, in electricians, in all of these jobs, but also white-collar jobs and service jobs, like nursing and others, we've become very reliant upon importing overseas labour. And what the pandemic exposed was that when we can't do that, we've struggled.
 
BYNER: What do you think about the significant concerns from the ACCC about the special RAT kits, with the prices that have just gone through the roof, are you proposing anything be done about this?
 
ALBANESE: Well, we are proposing, one, that rapid antigen test be available to all who need them and that they be supplied for free. Just like we don't charge people to get a PCR test, it is paid for through the Medicare system, we could establish something, a structure, that ensures that there wasn't abuse of the system. And that's what's occurring overseas. The American administration, in Europe, including the UK, in Singapore. All of these governments around the world in advanced economies like ours recognise that in order to keep the economy going, we need these RATs. And at the moment, people can't find them. In many places, it's easier to get COVID than it is to find a rapid antigen test.
 
BYNER: Is that because the Feds didn't think about this earlier and then supply them to make sure there was no shortage? Did they forget to do that?
 
ALBANESE: Leon, it was months ago when the Government was told about this. The TGA approved rapid antigen tests in Australia in September. And at that time, Greg Hunt said that it would be an important part of our response to COVID, an important part of home-testing, of keeping people at work, people being able to go to school. And the Government did absolutely nothing. It was only a week ago that they finally got a tender or closed a tender which didn't go through normal commercial processes because it was determined that there were urgent requirements. Well, this has been coming for a long period of time. As you know, Leon, your border was closed in South Australia for a long period of time. And one of the things that was said was once we open up, the number of cases will rise. And we had months to prepare for this. The Commonwealth Government, just like with the rollout of the vaccine, said, 'It's not a race, someone else's problem', and didn't act. They had ads ready for TV, saying what a good job they were doing, before people still don't have access adequately to rapid antigen tests.
 
BYNER: Is it unfair that businesses are exploiting this and charging far too much?
 
ALBANESE: Well, some of them clearly are. But they're exploiting it because the Government said, 'We're going to leave it all up to the market, this isn't a role for us here'. And of course, the market has led to some abuse. Because people are desperate to get these kits. It is very common for people to be paying $30 or $50 for a test. And it is just extraordinary. And it's adding to the anxiety that's out there. It is beyond my comprehension why it is that other countries could get this right, and once again, the Federal Government has been just too slow, just too complacent, and has only responded after a potential problem has become a crisis.
 
BYNER: Anthony Albanese, thanks for coming on.
 
ENDS