RAF EPSTEIN, HOST: The Prime Minister is on the radio in Melbourne, Anthony Albanese, Good morning.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Raf. Good to be with you.
 
EPSTEIN: The American President has essentially said you have been trying to call him. If I can just play the question from the Nine journo and his answer.
 
JOURNALIST: The Australian Prime Minister is having an election this weekend, will you speak to him about trade?
 
PRESIDENT TRUMP: They are calling, and I will be talking to him, yes.
 
EPSTEIN: The President is basically saying that you’re calling him and he’s not answering. Is that embarrassing?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Not at all. It’s a light-hearted throwaway comment from the President. I assure you, I’m not staying up at night trying to ring anyone at the moment. I’m in the election campaign. And of course, what the President of the United States would be aware of is the discussions that took place between our officials and his officials and that have continued. But I'm sure if we are successful, we will have a discussion after Saturday.
 
EPSTEIN: Sorry, have you been told that?
 
PRIME MINISTER: No, but I'm sure that will occur. We have a relationship. We've already had a couple of phone calls, but I assure you that my campaign is front and centre. But of course, after the election, I would expect, just as after the last election, I received phone calls from leaders around the world. That is what happens.
 
EPSTEIN: That is what happens. I do want to get on to the election, but just one more question on calls. I realise there's a lot of protocols that are involved when two leaders speak. I want to ask if it's worth doing something that is not diplomatic. People can call him, if I can just play a snippet of the American journo, we've done an interview with him from The Atlantic. He did cold call President Trump. I just wanted to play that.
 
JOURNALIST: Hello, is President Trump there?
 
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Who's calling?
 
JOURNALIST: This is Michael Scherer. I'm a reporter for The Atlantic. You wrote -
 
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Oh, I know who you are, Michael. I know who you are.
 
EPSTEIN: Prime Minister, and it's okay if you don't think this is a good approach, is there any value in getting the number and just trying to ring him? Is that worthwhile?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what do you think, Raf? You're a sensible bloke.
 
EPSTEIN: I prefer to ask questions than answer them.
 
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, well [laughs] some questions have a very clear answer.
 
EPSTEIN: Okay. Okay. Let me move on to some of the stuff that's been happening this week in the election campaign. This is an issue, actually, in a few crucial seats in Melbourne. Peter Dutton says the Greens are a ‘Jew-hating party’. ‘Jew-hating’ - is that language okay?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, look, I'm not a commentator on Peter Dutton's language. I think in general, Peter Dutton dials everything up to 11. I think that is part of his character.
 
EPSTEIN: What do you mean part of his character?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, he spoke about people not being able to go out to dinner in Melbourne. He spoke about a range of issues with regard to Melbourne. And he's someone who does dial everything up, often then retreats from what he said immediately. I mean, he's promised four different referendums at various times and has retreated from that. He's promised to end working from home and now it's not clear what their position is after the election because they've said it's good policy, just the wrong timing. He's had different positions on electric vehicles, he's had just a range of hyperbole during the campaign. What he hasn't had is substance when it comes to policy. They haven't done the hard policy work. They've continued to engage in a lot of hyperbole, a lot of criticisms of others. What they haven't got is an alternative plan for Australia.
 
EPSTEIN: Your Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, was on a podcast. This goes to the questions around the Voice. She does seem to be saying on Betoota Talks, that the Voice, I guess, is inevitable. Here she is on the podcast:
 
PENNY WONG: Yeah look, I think we'll look back on it in 10 years' time and it'll be a bit like marriage equality, don't you reckon? People will go, did we have an argument about that?
 
EPSTEIN: PM, is Penny Wong right? Is the Voice sort of inevitable?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, she didn't say that at all, so please don’t, please don’t verbal her -
 
EPSTEIN: It’s what she’s implied. That's the heavy implication, isn't it?
 
PRIME MINISTER: You just played it. People will, I think – I think it was a very modest proposal, but it didn't receive the support of the Australian people. And that is what Penny Wong is saying. During that campaign, we were told that: “it would determine where Australia's defence bases would be. It would make a difference to people's private property rights. It would do extraordinary things.” None of that was the case. It was an advisory committee that was non-binding about matters that affect Indigenous Australians. It wasn't successful -
 
EPSTEIN: But it's a serious question, PM. I do think the implication there is that it's inevitable. Whether or not -
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, no, but she didn't say that, Raf. She did not say that. She spoke about how people will look back on what the issues were. That's very different from saying it's inevitable. She did not say that at all. And Penny Wong is in fact from a state in South Australia, which you'd be aware, does have a Voice to Parliament that has elected representatives that is in place.
 
EPSTEIN: Yes. And we have a very similar thing here with the First Nations Assembly in Victoria. The Prime Minister of Australia is Anthony Albanese. It's 19 minutes to nine on 774. We've spoken to one parent at a Catholic school in Warragul, which is in the seat of Monash, hotly contested seat. Catholic schools are writing, and the parent received one of these letters, writing to parents and basically, not literally, but they are basically suggesting that people vote for the Coalition. Should schools do that?
 
PRIME MINISTER: No, in my opinion view very clearly. And what we want and what we're provided for is free and fair funding for every school so that every student is valued whether they go to a public school or a private school. Now Australian Catholic schools have received the level of funding that was identified by David Gonski all those years ago in the review that was initiated. That has certainly been maintained by my Government and will be maintained in the future. What we are doing also, though, is lifting up Commonwealth funding to public schools by $16 billion over a decade, including an additional $2.5 billion for public schools in Victoria, the biggest new investment in public education by the Commonwealth ever, and that is -
 
EPSTEIN: So, should the Catholic Education Office tell schools to stop writing those letters?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's a matter for them, but it is a fact that my government values students in every school, which is so important. As you know, Raf, I went to a Catholic school. I received a good education. They were very generous in that my Mum couldn't afford school fees and so they let me stay in the school and just pay what we could, and my Mum when she could, would volunteer in the canteen that was our contribution and that happens across a range of schools in the Catholic system that I'm very conscious of. Public schools are available for every Australian and do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to disadvantaged students and students who need extra assistance. We want to make sure that every student is valued and that is what we're doing.
 
EPSTEIN: Prime Minister, you've spoken a lot about Medicare. You've increased bulk billing incentives for pensioners and kids. You want to extend that to adults. You know that doesn't cover everything. I just wanted to read you a text that I received from someone who doesn't want us to use their name. “Raf, I had an MRI on my heart. I went to the specialist rooms in Warrnambool to get the results. The receptionist wanted $200 to see the doctor. As a pensioner, I don't have that money. So, has the American health system started? I'm now scared to go to the doctor. I don't have results. I probably won't go again. It was so humiliating. I couldn't pay with everyone looking at me. I left in tears. Is this what I worked all my life for?” What would you say to that person? So, this isn't the bulk billing you're talking about for pensioners. That's the specialist stuff, the $200, you can't afford. 
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Raf, you have to be very careful about talking about individual people, particularly when it comes to their health care, without knowing who they are, what the circumstances are. Let me say this -
 
EPSTEIN: Sure, but you understand the specialist bills issue for many people.
 
PRIME MINISTER: Indeed. Let me say this, though, that one of the things that we are doing by opening Urgent Care Clinics that include a range of facilities, I've been into Urgent Care Clinics that certainly provide radiography and other support is taking pressure off emergency departments. Of course, the hospital system provides in some areas access for MRIs and for other activity. We want to make sure that every Australian does have access to health care and we want to strengthen the Medicare system. We know that the bulk billing rate for concession card holders has increased to above 90% because we did triple the bulk billing incentive. We know that 1.3 million Australians have had access to Urgent Care Clinics and all they've needed is their Medicare card and we're going to open another 50 so that 80% of Australians will be within 20 minutes of an Urgent Care Clinic –
 
EPSTEIN: Just, PM, if I can –
 
PRIME MINISTER: And the other thing that we announced on Sunday was our 1800MEDICARE line so that people can have access 24/7 to that advice that they need by speaking to a registered nurse and if need be, then to be handed over to a GP for advice as well.
 
EPSTEIN: Just a final question then, Prime Minister. I was in Melton, which is in the seat of Hawke, I was there yesterday at a shopping centre just doing some vox pops that I haven't played to people yet. But I did get the sense very much, “Labor, Liberal, pretty disappointed” - not much affection for you there. More people voting for you than Peter Dutton. But basically, describing you as the best of two bad options. Are you okay with that?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm okay with the judgement of the Australian people that we'll receive on Saturday. But we have governed through very difficult times, Raf. We know that that's the case. And around the globe, it has been a difficult time to be in government. The indications in elections right around the world show that. But we have turned the corner, and my government has got inflation down to 2.4%. We await what the figure will be in just a few hours. There'll be a new inflation figure out. Interest rates have started to fall. They started to increase before we were in government, we know that has an impact on people with mortgages. Real wages are now increasing five quarters in a row -
 
EPSTEIN: But that sentiment, PM, though, that ‘just the best of a bad lot’, is that the best we can do? Is that your fault? Is that our fault as voters? What do you think?
 
PRIME MINISTER: The voters are always right, Raf, to be very clear, but my government has governed in difficult times. We have created a million jobs on our watch. We have provided substantial cost of living relief, whilst getting inflation down. That is like landing a 747 on a helicopter pad. That has been our task this term. I'm very positive and optimistic about where Australia is headed. And that is due to the courage and resilience of the Australian people. Our neighbours in New Zealand are in a deep recession, around the country - around the world, unemployment hit double digits in some countries and inflation hit double digits as well. Now, we have been through a difficult period, COVID, and then following global inflation, but we have turned that corner, and my government has a plan to cut people's taxes, to cut student debt, to provide that support for Medicare, and our opponents just have a plan for cuts in order to pay for their $600 billion nuclear fantasy.
 
EPSTEIN: One final quick one. Can you ban all the texts that come to our phones from political parties?
 
PRIME MINISTER: I wish that were the case. I'm not sure that fits with our democracy and the capacity people have to campaign -
 
EPSTEIN: Might win a lot of votes –
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I certainly think that would be a reasonable thing to do.
 
EPSTEIN: To ban the texts?
 
PRIME MINISTER: I'd be happy with that, but I'm not sure that it would fit in with other legal requirements about people having access. But certainly, I understand that it could be very annoying for people and certainly the -
 
EPSTEIN: Do you get Trumpet of Patriot texts?
 
PRIME MINISTER: No, but Jodie has got them regularly, and I know that for the literally tens of millions of dollars that the Trumpet of Patriots are spending on this campaign, it's an extraordinary vanity exercise that we're seeing by Clive Palmer. And I expect that they won't be terribly successful. Those double-page ads, though, are good for the bottom line of media companies. There's no question about that.
 
EPSTEIN: Thank you for your time this morning. Good luck for the rest of the last three days to you and to Peter Dutton. It must be tiring. Good luck.
 
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Raf.
 
ENDS