Failures of the Morrison Government during the COVID-19; Labor’s policy agenda; Federal election; Better Future for Queensland visit; Novak Djokovic; rapid antigen tests.

JAYNE AZZOPARDI, HOST: Joining us now from Rockhampton in Queensland is the Opposition Leader, Anthony Albanese.  Albo, good morning to you.

Good morning. It is a beautiful day here in Rocky.

AAZZOPARDI: I bet. Sunshine on your face. Looks great. Albo, no-one looks good in this mess, do they? You are probably happy you don't have to deal with this problem right now, but we are looking pretty foolish around the world.

AZZOPARDI: It is diabolical. This was the biggest sporting story in the world for months. Everyone knows when the Australian Open is. Novak Djokovic, best tennis player in the world, number one ranked, nine-time champion, shooting for his 21st Grand Slam. And no-one knew that he wasn't vaccinated? He's made that a bit public. How is it that a visa was granted in the first place? This has been diabolical for Australia's reputation, just in terms of our competence here. And it is extraordinary that as we are speaking, we still don't know what the decision will be. The decision should have been made before he was granted a visa. Either he was eligible, or he wasn't.

ALEX CULLEN, HOST: He is not vaccinated, and many say he shouldn't be here, full stop. What do you think, does he stay, or should he go?ALBANESE: That is what the laws say.

CULLEN: Having said that, should he go stay?

ALBANESE: The issue is just that. Australia has a policy of not allowing unvaccinated people into Australia. It is beyond my comprehension how we have got to this point. It should have been resolved at the point in which a visa was applied for. Other people know their relatives, they know how tough it is to get someone into Australia. At any time, it is difficult, but at this time, in particular, it is extreme extremely difficult. Why is it those checks and balances weren't in place for anybody, let alone someone so prominent? So many of your listeners will be saying, ‘I tried to get my mother out here for a visit and couldn't get it because of various things in terms of the forms’. How is it that Novak Djokovic was able to come here? And then he we had a Federal Government pretending that Tennis Australia issued visas. And then now, eventually having to suspect the fact that, indeed, it has to make a decision.

AZZOPARDI: So much off-court drama before we have even taken to centre court, Albo. Now, to National Cabinet, who are meeting today, of course. On top of that agenda is staff shortages and, of course, supply chain issues. What to be done to fix those issues and to get food back on empty shelves, really?

ALBANESE: We need free rapid antigen tests for workers. That is what we need. We need to make sure that people can work, but they can work safely. That is something that the business community have said to me, as well as the trade union movement. How have we come to this also? We had rapid antigen tests approved last September. They came into practice from 1st November. The Transport Workers' Union, for example, wrote to the Government in September last year saying, ‘We need RATs for our workforce, otherwise there will be supply chain issues’. So, this shouldn't have come as any surprise. It is extraordinary that in the third year of the pandemic we have no food on supermarket shelves, we have people getting their booster shot appointments deferred. We have children who can't get their first shot, causing anxiety for parents who we are told could book their shot for this week for their children. And we have rising numbers of people in hospital, in ICU. And the numbers, of course, of people who are being infected are increasing substantially. But the national plan said that once you open up there would be increased numbers of infections. And this Government just ordered rapid antigen tests this week, $62 million worth of them. How is it that they waited until there is a crisis before there is any action at all?

CULLEN: Albo, you are in coal country. If you are going to win this election you are going to win this election you need to win more seats in Queensland. How are you explaining to voters up there, to coal miners, that a Labor win will not cost them their jobs?

ALBANESE: Well, two things. We have got a fully-costed plan out there that we will create 604,000 jobs, that will reduce energy prices by $275 for average people by 2025. Later today, we will be at the Alumina Plant of Rio Tinto. It has a policy of 50 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 and supports net zero by 2050. Labor has a fully-costed plan out there that will ensure that the economy grows. With $52 billion of increased private sector investment. And of those 604,000 new jobs, five out of every six of them will be in the regions. So, places like Rockhampton and Gladstone and Mackay and Cairns and other centres, here in Queensland in particular, will benefit. But the other thing that we are saying is that we want working people to be looked after. And what the miners know is that the lack of same job, same pay, the casualisation, the abuse of labour hire deals, has meant that some miners can be working next to each other doing the same job, some of them paid $30,000 less. You never hear the LNP show any interest at all in the wages and conditions and safety of working people.

AZZOPARDI: Albo, no election date, but certainly campaigning is upon us, isn't it?

CULLEN: All the best for the rest of the tour.

ALBANESE: The Prime Minister gave up governing some months ago.

AZZOPARDI: He had to get that in.

ALBANESE: I have taken him at his word. And this is my third visit to Queensland since December. It is a great state. And it is fantastic to be out there and able to engage with people in their local communities. And I look forward to the campaign. I want a better future for Queensland. That is the theme of this visit. And it has been terrific. And it also is just such a beautiful spot here on the Fitzroy River.

AZZOPARDI: You are not wrong there, Albo. It is a very beautiful spot.

CULLEN: We will have to stop you there, Albo.

AZZOPARDI: You are making us jealous.

ALBANESE: I am giving an ad for Queensland tourism here.

AZZOPARDI: Thanks, Albo.

ALBANESE: Thanks very much.