SUBJECTS: Commemoration services for the bombing of Darwin; national security; Ukraine; Federal election; Labor’s policy agenda; Don Dale; closing the gap.
 
LUKE GOSLING, MEMBER FOR SOLOMON: G'day, everyone. Thanks for coming down to the beautiful Darwin Cenotaph here on the Esplanade. My name is Luke Gosling. I'm the Federal Member for Solomon, so Darwin and Palmerston. I am also a veteran and incredibly proud to be a member of Anthony Albanese's Federal Labor team. It's great to have Albo in Darwin. It's also awesome to be with the rest of our team. We've got Warren Snowdon and the person that hopefully will be taking over from Warren, Marion Scrymgour and also our NT Senator, Malarndirri McCarthy. We've had a wonderful ceremony here, a very poignant ceremony made incredibly special with the presence of Brian Winspear, who was here during the war. He's 101 years old. And it's wonderful that he was able to join us, but also our friends from Timor, from the United States and from Japan, to remember all those that were lost. 80 years ago, fourscore years ago, right here, Darwin was attacked. But as the great Labor Prime Minister of the time, John Curtin, said, 'Darwin has been bombed, but not conquered'. One of the reasons I'm incredibly proud to be part of Anthony Albanese's team is that he is a leader in the model of John Curtin. And it's awesome to have him here today. Thanks, Albo.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Well, thanks very much, Luke. Some days, this job is just such an incredible honour. And this morning, to meet Brian Winspear and to escort him to this morning's commemorations with Chief Minister Michael Gunner is one of those. Brian is the happiest 101 year old I have ever met. He's full of joy. And he is a sprightly, young, 101 years. And today, I think, for me, it was such an honour to meet Brian and to have the opportunity to engage with him. But of course, today has also been about the commemoration, 80 years ago today, when World War Two came to our shores with the bombing of Darwin. The fact that Darwin showed the resilience and courage and strength of Australian culture in resisting what was the first of dozens of raids over a period of two years. And that Darwin today is, of course, a modern, thriving city. A city which is very important as our northern capital. And today's ceremony was an opportunity to reflect on the events of 80 years ago, but also to recommit to a stronger Australia going forward. And I was very pleased to be able to be here with my Labor team, Luke, Malarndirri, and of course, our outgoing member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, who has been such an extraordinary representative over a long period of time, and of course, Marion Scrymgour, a former Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, who we sincerely hope joins the Labor team as part of a Labor Government after the next election.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, we've been reminded this morning...
 
ALBANESE: Don't be pre-emptive.
 
JOURNALIST: I thought we were good to go?
 
ALBANESE: No, the title you just gave me. We have democracy in this country. And I'm very much a candidate for that position.
 
JOURNALIST: We've been reminded of the cost of war this morning. Do you think the tone of the rhetoric of politics in the last week has undermined our national security?
 
ALBANESE: There's no doubt that some of the tone and the rhetoric that has been used by Scott Morrison and the Government this week reflects political desperation. And it's been called out by the Department of Defence Secretary, Greg Moriarty, by the Director General of ASIO, by former Director General of ASIO, former Ambassador to Washington, former Head of Defence and Foreign Affairs, Dennis Richardson. We have a national interest in our unity. And what we shouldn't be doing is trying to conflate false distinctions where there are none. Australia's national interest is based upon us being united as a people, not being divided. And part of my pitch to the Australian people is I want to take Australia forward as one. Scott Morrison is prepared to undermine the national interest, to prop up a prime ministership that has never been about much more than extending beyond his own self-interest. And I think if you want to stop discussion about the crisis in aged care, about the fact that wages are going backwards, about the failure to have an economic plan for the future, a failure to have an energy policy in this country that provides security for workers going forward, a failure to deliver on key promises, including advancing the Uluru Statement from the Heart, including having discrimination law about religious freedom, including having a national anti-corruption commission, then, no doubt, you'll try to conflate issues and have a 'Look over there' moment. Australia is united in terms of our national interest. Both Labor and the Coalition have exactly the same policy when it comes to China. And there is no national interest in the Prime Minister seeking to undermine that.
 
JOURNALIST: The Coalition is trying to paint you as weak. Are you vulnerable to that kind of attack and that kind of campaign because you've run such a small target campaign?
 
ALBANESE: Well, I think it's weak to undermine the national interest. I think it's weak to not be prepared to have a debate about economic policy. I think it's weak to decline, as the Prime Minister did this week in the Parliament, when I moved for him to have 10 minutes to talk about national security and me to have 10 minutes to reply. This is a Prime Minister who knows that his rhetoric doesn't meet the facts. This is a Prime Minister who knows that I've been in public life for 25 years, I've been engaged in the Australia US Leadership Dialogue for two decades, I met with Secretary of State Blinken last Friday, eight days ago, and renewed my friendship with Kurt Campbell and other people in the US administration. The fact is that I'll always stand up for Australia's national interest based upon our three pillars of our foreign policy - our alliance with the United States, regional engagement, and our support for multilateral forums, including the United Nations.
 
JOURNALIST: Do you think war in Ukraine is inevitable?
 
ALBANESE: Well, I certainly hope that it's not. And I call upon Russia to back off. Yet again, there is no place for the intimidation that we've seen from Russia with the massing of troops on the Ukrainian border. I met with the Federation of Ukrainian Organisations in Melbourne eight days ago, and heard from them the concern which is there from Australians of Ukrainian descent, but that is shared by the wider Australian community. We know that the ravages of war have real consequences. And the ravages of war in the Ukraine, if Russia carries out a military intervention, will be devastating for the people of Ukraine. But also, there'll be loss of life and economic consequences as well for a period to come. So, I'd say to Russia, it needs to respect Ukrainians' sovereignty. And it needs to back off now.
 
JOURNALIST: Earlier this morning, you attended the USS Peary event. The Governor General also attended. And two things happened there. One, a chair was reserved for Prime Minister, Scott Morrison. He chose not to attend. I'd be very interested in your thoughts on that. And then shortly after, a grandmother of a child who is in Don Dale handed you a petition for you to consider about the closure of that institution. I am hoping for a response on both those matters.
 
ALBANESE: On the second response, I haven't had an opportunity because I've been, obviously, as you can see, I've been at the commemoration today. So, I haven't had an opportunity to look at the petition. I will have a look at it and give due consideration. I have respect for people. And the woman involved didn't tell me what it was about. It was a closed letter. I'll examine it and I will certainly commit to getting back to her. One of the things that we have in this country, in our great democracy, is that people can approach the alternative Prime Minister and give them a petition about an issue of concern. And I certainly will read that and will respond to the woman involved. As for Scott Morrison not attending this morning's commemoration, that's really a matter for him to answer. I don't play politics with these issues. It is a matter for him. I did notice, obviously, that he wasn't there. It was a very good service, can I say that? And it was an honour for me to attend. As for the Prime Minister's itinerary, that's a matter for him.
 
JOURNALIST: On the Don Dale issue, you would have seen the Four Corners program. Do you think that six years after that Royal Commission was called, those kids are still being held in the high security cells of an old adult prison which was once home to murderers and rapists?
 
ALBANESE: Look, I certainly did see the program on Don Dale. And I think it shocked all Australians. We need to do much better. This morning, I acknowledged the Uluru Statement from the Heart. When we do that, the country will advance as a whole and will wonder what the fuss was about. It reminds me of what occurred with the Apology to Stolen Generations that Kevin Rudd gave. It took a change of government for that to happen. And whilst some people in the Parliament resisted and walked out at the time, overwhelmingly, it's recognised, I think, by everyone now that we advanced as a country. But that was just one part. The second part of that was to lead to closing the gap. A practical reconciliation, making a difference when it comes to incarceration rates of First Nations people, making a difference to people's health. We still have not so much a gap than a chasm in too many areas of education, health and other areas. And that's one of the reasons why this magnificent young woman here, Marion Scrymgour, will make a fantastic member for Lingiari. And we had our preselection processes. I was very pleased, can I say this, that Marion was prepared to put herself forward. She's someone who will be a representative, of course, of all people in Lingiari, but will join an extraordinary First Nations Caucus as part of our Labor Government if we're successful. And when you have Marion Scrymgour joining Linda Burney, Patrick Dodson, and my good friend who's here, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, that's a powerful team. Thanks very much.
 
ENDS