SUBJECTS: Failures of the Morrison Government during COVID-19; Labor’s policy agenda; rapid antigen tests; Federal election; Western Australia.
 
CATHERINE RENSHAW, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR NORTH SYDNEY: I'm Catherine Renshaw. I'm Labor's candidate for the seat of North Sydney. I'm here with the Leader of the Labor Party, Anthony Albanese, and the Mayor of Lane Cove Council, Andrew Zbik. So, I'm a local. I went to high school up the road in North Sydney. A couple of kilometres further up the road, my husband and I brought up our three kids. One of my first waitressing jobs while I was at uni was up at North Sydney, the heart of the business district. And it's devastating to see all of those restaurants and cafes empty as we deal with the shadow lockdown of Omicron in the absence of what we need to get through it, which is rapid antigen tests. So, I'm not a politician, though I've always been interested in politics. I'm a law professor. And I see myself as first and foremost a teacher and a human rights advocate. A federal candidacy wasn't really on my agenda until last year, when from Kirribilli to Lane Cove, people were telling me that they'd had enough of the current Government, that they were tired of the lies and the incompetence and they were tired of the lies told to cover up the incompetence. And they wanted real change. Change on things that mattered to them like climate and integrity, gender equity and education. And I think the people of North Sydney deserve real change. And the people across Australia do as well. So, my candidacy is not just about getting rid of the current Government. It's about the Government that will replace it. It's about Labor's vision for a stronger, fairer Australia. An Australia that's made in Australia by Australians. So, I am proud and honoured to be standing for this historic seat. We're working very hard to make history here in North Sydney. We've already made it in our local council elections. And I'm beyond delighted that Anthony Albanese has come across the Harbour Bridge to share Labor's vision with North Sydney.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Well, thanks very much, Catherine. And as you can see, we have an outstanding candidate for North Sydney. We are the only major political party that has a candidate for North Sydney at this point in time. Because the Coalition are in such a state of disarray that they can't even preselect their sitting local member to recontest this election. Just like their sitting member doesn't determine climate change policies determined by Barnaby Joyce and people in the National Party room. Just like there's no National Anti-corruption Commission because people in the Coalition don't want one because they fear transparency. Just like this Government have failed when it comes to looking after Australia's national interest. And here at this ferry terminal, it's a reminder of why we need a future made in Australia. The ferries that were purchased by the New South Wales Liberal Government have over 40 defects. They have asbestos. They can't fit under the bridges on the Parramatta River. It shows, yet again, how short-sighted this Coalition is, whether it's in New South Wales or federally, when it comes to standing up for our national interests, defending Australian jobs, defending Australian manufacturing. We need a future made in Australia. We should be making our trains, our ferries and our trams right here in Australia. Because the ones that have been made overseas aren't fit-for-purpose. It's not cheaper if they're not running. And the ferries can't run on this harbour. The trams can't run on the tracks to the Inner West. And the trains have all had defects as well. The Tangara trains that were made proudly in Newcastle are still running on the network. And yet here, they have simply failed. They failed to backup Australian manufacturing. And this morning on the radio, a former Member for North Sydney, Joe Hockey, was speaking about the Liberal Party's failure to make things in Australia. Joe Hockey is involved now with a company that wanted to produce rapid antigen tests here in Australia. And they received no support here. They received support from the United States Government. Foreign governments supported Australian companies to make rapid antigen tests at the same time as the Australian Government was saying that it wasn't a race, nothing to see here, and they weren't interested. The Morrison Government, which rejected the approaches from Pfizer to gain access to the vaccinations early enough so that we could avoid the sort of circumstances we've seen over the last 12 months, committed exactly the same mistakes when it came to rapid antigen tests. And the consequences are there for all to see. It is easier to catch COVID in this city than it is to find a rapid antigen test. And today, we have a record number of deaths. Tragically, 46 people in New South Wales have lost their lives. That's 46 families who will be mourning today as a result of that loss of life. Over 600 families will be mourning as a result of the loss of life in just the last week. Our deadliest week. Australia needs to do better. We need to learn the lessons from the crisis. And the lesson is we need to be more self-reliant, more resilient, we need to stand up for Australia's own interest, for Australian jobs. We will have a healthier society and a better economy if we do so. And that is very much a central plank of my offer to the Australian people of a better future for Australia. A better future that includes representing people in this electorate of North Sydney and representing people wherever they live, right throughout the country. Happy to take questions.
 
JOURNALIST: Is it too late now for Aussie-made RATs?
 
ALBANESE: It is not. Because we are going to need rapid antigen tests into the future. It's extraordinary that of all the tests that have been approved, only one is Australian-made. It's also extraordinary that even the offers that have been made, I've been approached by companies that had access to rapid antigen tests at a price as low as $3.25 and $4, including freight from overseas, and knocked back by the Government. The truth is that Australians are having difficulty finding a rapid antigen test. And if they can find one, then it's more difficult to pay for it. Because this Government should have made rapid antigen tests accessible and free. That's what common sense tells you. And that's what Medicare is there for. This Government seem to think that it's interfering with the market if you give people a rapid antigen test. It says a lot about their mindset when it comes to Medicare and the health system. They don't really believe in the free and universal provision of healthcare. Whenever they get an opportunity, they fall back into the market, which is why they've made so many changes to Medicare, which have undermined it. They've undermined GPs and the GP system. They've removed whole regional areas from the support that's there for Medicare and bulk billing. They have changed the Medicare schedule on almost a thousand different items, changed from July 1 last year without any proper consultation. They have failed when it comes to supporting the Australian-based manufacturers. We should be a country that manufactures mRNA vaccines here. The Minister for Industry two ago said that would happen in the next nine or 12 months. She said that almost 18 months ago when she was the Minister, the current Minister of Home Affairs. The truth is that this Government have been complacent. They have always said that it's not a race. And it always was. And Scott Morrison, in the bizarre monologue that he gave in the Parliament House courtyard this week, again refused to accept responsibility. It's always someone else's fault.
 
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible).
 
ALBANESE: Well, if there was a greater supply, you wouldn't have unscrupulous businesses price-gouging. And that is what we're seeing. I know someone who paid $180 for five tests online. $180. There are extraordinary prices being claimed for these RATs that should not cost that much. They should cost a few dollars. That is the price at which they're going to other countries that have bought on mass. The Biden administration, the Boris Johnson administration in the UK, other countries in Europe, Singapore, all bought on mass rapid antigen tests. And they made them available to their populations.
 
JOURNALIST: You spoke of a lack of candidates supplied by the Liberal Party in New South Wales. It seems that the Prime Minister is trying to hold the New South Wales Liberal Party to ransom to bring in his own candidates. Has the Prime Minister lost sight of what democracy really means?
 
ALBANESE: Well, the Prime Minister has lost sight of what democracy means. Even within the Liberal Party, he can't find himself to field candidates here in New South Wales. There are 10 seats in New South Wales, including North Sydney, where the Liberal Party don't have a candidate. We have chaos within the Liberal Party. And here, just up the road here in Willoughby, which is, of course, in a part of this area, you had Gladys Berejiklian's candidate knocked over by a far-right candidate. A far-right our idealogue in the Liberal Party. And that's the thing. If you vote Liberal, then you don't get moderate outcomes. If you vote Liberal more and more, you get hard-right outcomes. And that's one of the things that we're seeing with response to climate change, with response to buying Australian, with response to protecting safety of women. On so many issues, the hard-right of the Liberal Party are in control. And here we have Scott Morrison with his little band, led by Alex Hawke here in New South Wales, who aren't far from the left or the right of the Liberal Party, just engaging in a stalling tactic, a stalling tactic against their own members. If they treat their own members with such contempt, then you can imagine what they think of the Australian voters who they expect to just go and vote for them regardless. Well, here in North Sydney, we're putting up a serious candidate in Catherine Renshaw. A professor of law at the University of Western Sydney. Someone who has lived in this community, raised a family in this community. Someone who will represent this community and its views in the Federal Parliament. Not make excuses and come out with things like higher targets on climate change that the Government just dismisses. Someone who will truly represent this electorate. And it's about time that this electorate not be taken for granted. Labor is taking it seriously. That's why I'm here today.
 
JOURNALIST: Has Mark McGowan made the right call in keeping the WA border closed?
 
ALBANESE: Mark McGowan done a great job in keeping Western Australians safe. And the announcement that he has made is in direct response to the failure of the Federal Government to secure enough booster shots, to secure enough rapid antigen tests for the population.
 
JOURNALIST: Is it the right call?
 
ALBANESE: Mark McGowan has always made the right call based upon health advice. And I support Mark McGowan's decision. It is a difficult decision. I was intending to go to Western Australia on the fifth of February. And I know for many people, they were keen to go to visit loved ones. But the first priority of Mark McGowan has been to keep Western Australians safe. By getting the right health outcomes, he's got good economic outcomes. People in Western Australia are enjoying life almost as normal. Certainly, compared with New South Wales, they go into restaurants, they are playing sport, school will go back as scheduled. They're engaged in the normal way of family life. Here in Sydney, people are making their own decisions to restrict their activity because they're anxious. Here in Sydney, I was standing outside an aged care home in Rhodes where people have difficulty seeing their loved ones. So many aged care homes are locked out from people from outside in order to keep residents safe. Childcare centres are closed. Food is short. The fact is Mark McGowan's responded to the failure of the Morrison Government. The boosters are later because the rollout of the vaccine was so late here in Australia because of the failure to secure supply because Scott Morrison said it wasn't a race
 
JOURNALIST: Do you believe Mark McGowan has made the right call (inaudible)?
 
ALBANESE: I haven't played Scott Morrison's game of criticising state premiers for decisions that they have made during the health crisis. State premiers have made decisions based upon health advice. I note that in Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania, there have been more restrictions for longer than here in New South Wales. But I haven't done what Scott Morrison's done, which is to play partisan politics, criticise some states. Scott Morrison, you'll recall, went to Queensland and said, way back in June 2020, Scott Morrison spoke about opening things up to the economy, living with the virus. In January, he went and joked at the cricket about taking wickets with the virus. Well, Travis Head wasn't playing in that test because he had COVID. Australia wasn't taking wickets with COVID. Australia did well in the cricket, but it wasn't because of COVID. And I think that Scott Morrison joking about it was pretty offensive to those people who are really doing it tough, who have lost loved ones, or who have suffered as a result of catching COVID in their hundreds of thousands.
 
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible).
 
ALBANESE: Well, we'll engage with Western Australia. I did two radio interviews with Western Australian stations just yesterday. I'll continue to engage. We have fantastic candidates.
 
JOURNALIST: But you can't do the whole campaign trail.
 
ALBANESE: I will do a campaign trail as soon as I can. As soon as WA opens up, I'll be there on the day it does.
 
JOURNALIST: Do you think it will open up before the election?
 
ALBANESE: We will see. I chat to Mark McGowan all the time. I had contact with him last night. And he told me of the decision he was about to announce. And I told him I respected and supported that decision.
 
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible).
 
ALBANESE: I think the more people see of Scott Morrison, who went to court backing up Clive Palmer's attempt to open the WA borders and just let it rip, the better. I'm quite happy for Scott Morrison to go to WA. And I certainly want to go to WA at the first opportunity. Thanks.
 
ENDS