SUBJECTS: Maz and Gawndy’s Public holiday campaign; Minns for the Win; PEP 11.

MAZ COMPTON, HOST: I feel like this segment is popping up more frequently and they know what's going on in your world. But this Grumpy Gawndy used to be like a once every couple of months thing. This is like the third time this week.

DANIEL 'GAWNDY' GAWNED, HOST: Yeah, there's been a few. This one, I feel everyone should be across. And I'm sure it's something that they've thought about. But what are we doing about it is the question? And so this popped up earlier in the week, and it was off the back of Melbourne, of Victoria, getting a public holiday for Melbourne Cup.

MAZ: Yes.

GAWNDY: And I'm looking at that thing. And that's the race that stops the nation. Well, they're the only ones that are stopped. 

MAZ: Yeah, it's the race that stops everyone in Victoria and then 50 per cent of Australians around the rest of the country. 

GAWNDY: I will stop for it if we get a public holiday for it. This was the grumpy Gawndy from earlier in the week. Why do we get less public holidays than Victoria? Every single year? 15, they get.

MAZ: To be fair, they’ve had more lockdowns. 

GAWNDY: We all sit around in New South Wales and say, 'Yeah, no worries, no worries'. But where's our extra two days? They get the AFL Grand Final off and they get the Melbourne Cup off. People need to care about this more, because there's Australians among us getting more days off than what we're getting. And that's not right.

MAZ: That’s un-Australian. So, we should all have the same amount of public holidays. Every state should be equal. We’re fighting for equal rights in New South Wales.

GAWNDY: And there's one man who can potentially get this over the line at some point. And that is the Opposition Leader, Anthony Albanese, who joins us now. Albo, good morning

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Good to be with you.

MAZ: We're fired up mate.

ALBANESE: You're completely fired up. Absolutely justified. It's not even that AFL Grand Final day off in Victoria, by the way, it's the Friday beforehand.

GAWNDY: Who got that over the line, Albo, when they presented that?

ALBANESE: A Labor Government, mate.

GAWNDY: Really, really? Really? You're too good. You are too good. 

ALBANESE: That’s what we're all about, looking after working people. That’s what we do. 

GAWNDY: I will say this to you right now, Albo, when the election comes round, if you get us more public holidays, you 1,000 per cent have my vote ready to go. Is it something you would look at?

ALBANESE: How about the NRL Grand Final the Friday beforehand and we can have the big lead-up to it.

GAWNDY: Although no, no, no, it is on a Sunday night. I think we would appreciate the Monday off.

ALBANESE: Well, see, you haven’t examined this carefully enough. The Monday is usually the October long weekend.

GAWNDY: Well, yes, you're right. Yes, yes. 

MAZ: And the Tuesday.

GAWNDY: Friday, Monday and Tuesday.

ALBANESE: Yeah, and with a little asterisks next to it. If South Sydney wins the Grand Final you get the whole week. 

MAZ: Fair enough.

ALBANESE: Last time we won the grand final, we've only won once in my adult life, I needed the week off, let me tell you.

MAZ: So, Victoria at the moment, they do get two extra days, then New South Wales. But what about other states as well? Like Tasmania. They get 20 public holidays a year. What is going on there?

ALBANESE: Again, I assume it's the Labor Government. I'm just claiming it.

MAZ: But if Tassie get 20, shouldn't we all get 20? Like shouldn't we be shooting for 20? 

ALBANESE: Why do they get 20?

MAZ: I don't know. You're the politician.

ALBANESE: I have followed Victoria because I've been down there on the Friday before a Grand Final. I used to do the Today Show really early in the morning and we used to do it from the Bourke Street Mall. Then I got told it's like the whole city shut down and I love it.

GAWNDY: I think we made a fair point before we had you on air, it is that, you know, in Australia, we should just all have equal days. So if you become the Prime Minister, can you promise, it's an interesting word with a politician, promise us that we'll get April public holidays. Could we do it?

ALBANESE: The states do this state by state. So, I'll tell you what. I'll have a chat to Chris Minns about New South Wales of he wins. And this could be something that could be a major item before the National Cabinet.

GAWNDY: Alright. Minns for the win. Minns for the Win. Minns For the win.

MAZ: I love that we're talking about public holidays with you in the middle of a climate emergency. But you know what? It's important that we're rested.

ALBANESE: Well, absolutely.

GAWNDY: Very quickly and I mean this when I say 'very quickly', Albo. What are you on the Central Coast for today? Very quickly.

ALBANESE: I am here, importantly, to campaign with Dr Gordon Reid and Emma McBride about stopping the mad PEP 11 proposal for oil and gas exploration off the coast here. It's been on the minister's desk since last February. He was supposed to sign off. Stop it. Just stop it.

GAWNDY: Stop it or cop it, Albo. Thanks for joining us.

ALBANESE: Good on you guys. Good luck with the campaign.

MAZ & GAWNDY: Minns for the Win. Minns for the Win. Minns for the Win

ENDS