MARK LEVY, HOST: Anthony Albanese, good morning to you. 
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good day, Mark. How are you going? Joining you from Melbourne.  
 
LEVY: I'm very well thank you. Yeah, you’re the bus too. So, you're on there with the media? 
 
PRIME MINISTER: I'm on the bus, mate - I'm getting asked questions that I needed to convey to you, that it's important Latrell play left centre this week. If we have Latrell on the left, Jack Wighton on the right, you'd want to play wing outside either of them, wouldn't you?  
 
LEVY: Well, I'm calling the game on Friday night for the continuous call team. And I usually see you at South Sydney Games. And surely this is our chance to make a statement against a Roosters side that is not playing all that well.  
 
PRIME MINISTER: Absolutely. And Jye Gray, what energy he's got, top of the Dally M at the moment and he's just been on fire. I've got to say I, on Budget Reply night, some people said to me about the various interviews that were taking place, I got a phone call from a journalist, and I thought it was about Souths leading 28 nil. And it was some policy question. But for me, at that moment, Souths beating the premiers 28 nil. You can't get better than that.  
 
LEVY: Yeah, well, while I've got you, Prime Minister, I was a - I've been a bit critical of you lately, with respect, but I was a bit critical of you - 
 
PRIME MINISTER: That’s alright, I expect that.  
 
LEVY: I was a bit critical of your response today to the journalists in relation to a story that we broke on this program last week, and it features on the front page of the Daily Telegraph today. It's a school, a public school, in Sydney that's allowing kids to opt out of an Anzac service. And I thought, you might be across it, given it featured on this radio network and on the front page of a major newspaper. Have you had a chance to read the story?  
 
PRIME MINISTER: No, I haven't. It's not on the bus here, but I support Anzac Day, mate. Every Australian should support Anzac Day. It's a day where we pay tribute to the men and women who've served our country and defended our democracy and our freedom. I can't be clearer than that. That's my view. It's a great honour. I go to Anzac Day events, of course, every day, not just as a member of Parliament, but I've been going since I was a little kid. And one of the things that I'm really proud that my Government has done is to clear that backlog. There were 42,000 veterans, Mark, who had not got entitlements. You know how much they were owed? $13 billion. Men and women who wear our uniform, who deserve respect. Some of them passed away while they were waiting for their entitlements. And that's why we employed the extra public servants to make sure we cleared that backlog. As I said, $13 billion. It was disgrace and should have never happened. 
 
LEVY: Well, I reckon the diggers would be rolling in their grave knowing that a Sydney primary school wants to allow kids to opt out of Anzac services. What are your thoughts on schools across the country? What's your message to them? Should they be allowed to opt out or not?  
 
PRIME MINISTER: They should be participating, each and every Australian. It is a solemn day in our calendar. I'll be there at the Australian War Memorial and I'll be so proud to be there as the Australian Prime Minister. And I've said that Peter Dutton should be joining me at what is a national event.  
 
LEVY: I'm glad there's some unity with yourself and Peter Dutton in relation to the tariffs and what President Trump may announce in the next 24 hours. Can you give us any update on what the potential tariffs could be, or are you in the dark like everybody else at the moment?  
 
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, well, it would appear that the decision that the President, certainly spokespeople, are saying that there'll be no exemptions. But what we've done is to defend Australia's interests. We're not going to compromise on our Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. We're not going to get rid of our biosecurity laws. We're going to stand up for Australia's national interests. That's what I'll always do. That's my job and that's what I'll be doing.  
 
LEVY: Have you spoken to Kevin Rudd? Has he had any conversations with the Trump Administration on this? Our Ambassador?  
 
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah. On a daily basis. We've been strongly advocating right across the board. It's an act of self-harm, tariffs, of course, they put higher prices on the people who are imposing them. They don't assist the US to grow. What they'll do is to dampen their economy and mean higher costs for US consumers. There aren't more - I make this point to you, Mark - there aren't more American companies producing steel and aluminium today than there were in February. You know what? They're just paying more for the same products. And that's why it makes no sense. It's an act of economic self-harm, and we'll be standing up for Australia's national interests and not harming Australian interests.  
 
LEVY: Alright, one last one before you go, Prime Minister, and we can talk about South Sydney more into the future. But I note Tony Abbott's accused your Government of allowing Australia to be bullied and pushed around by China. He says that Peter Dutton's called you a wet lettuce over your dealings with China. This spy ship that's off the coast. Your response?  
 
PRIME MINISTER: Seriously, mate, former Liberal Prime Minister backs the Liberal Party, you know, how amazing. What next? John Howard will support the Liberal Party as well. Seriously, Tony Abbott's not a bad fella, we actually get on very well on a private basis, but he's a partisan warrior and good luck to him. The truth is that we have repaired our relations with the world, we've repaired our relations with the Pacific, with ASEAN countries. We've got trade going back with China. That's a good thing. You know why? Because it's about Australian jobs.  
 
LEVY: Do you think should we not be concerned, though, Prime Minister, with respect, that we've got a so-called spy ship off our coast? I mean, imagine if we did the same off the Chinese coast. Imagine the response.  
 
PRIME MINISTER: We have a few vessels off the Chinese coast from time to time, Mark, I'll give you the big tip.  
 
LEVY: Not at the moment, though.  
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you assert that. We engage in - passage of our ships, our aircraft, right around the world. Look, I’d prefer it wasn't happening, but this vessel put it in some perspective, what I haven't had – when the former government was in office, remember this? There was a ship, not off the coast, there was a ship in Sydney Harbour at Garden Island, a Chinese naval ship. And then they flogged off the Port of Darwin to a company with connections with the People's Republic of China Government, that's what the government that Peter Dutton sat in did.  
 
LEVY: Well, that was a them problem. But I suppose at the moment this is a you problem, given what's happening off the coast anyway, I don't want to take up too much more of your time. Back to the singing and footy talk on the bus. We'll catch up soon.  
 
PRIME MINISTER: Good on you, Mark, bye bye.  
 
ENDS