SUBJECTS: The Federal election; Labor’s policies; A Future Made In Australia; The Uluru Statement From The Heart.
 
JANICE PETERSEN, HOST: Well let's now bring in the opposition leader Anthony Albanese. Good evening, Mr Anthony Albanese. Thanks for joining us so much.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Good evening. Greetings from Launceston.

PETERSEN: You've been in Parliament since 1990. Well, I hope it's going well down there. You’re Opposition Leader now for almost three years. But this election, there are still many voters asking the question of exactly who you are and what you stand for. Why, in these uncertain times, should they be putting their faith in you?

ALBANESE: Because we need to have a better future, we can't be complacent. We need a government that addresses the challenges of the present by anticipating and creating a better future by having more secure work, by strengthening Medicare, by making sure we take up the opportunities that are there for dealing with climate change to create new jobs in new industries. We need to make sure we deal with the aged care crisis. And we need to address cost of living through measures like cheaper childcare and cheaper electricity prices.

PETERSEN: You have a clear lead in the polls, but of course, so did your predecessor Bill Shorten back in 2019. Do you think Labor's learned the lessons of that campaign?

ALBANESE: Well, we had an extensive review, we released it publicly, we're making sure that we have a very clear narrative in this campaign, and making sure that we have clear policies going forward. The government – I just heard the Prime Minister speak about the deal with New Zealand, that was actually struck between Julia Gillard and John Key way back in 2012. This is a government that have failed to take appropriate action. In that case, just left people languishing in hotels at great economic costs to taxpayers, but great human cost as well. And just before an election, they've discovered that that position is untenable. What we actually need in this country is a government that makes decisions in the national interest, isn't obsessed by day-to-day politics, and the truth is that that this government aren't delivering, they've been there for almost a decade, they're shooting for a fourth term, and a second decade in office, without having a real plan for the future.

PETERSEN: Mr Albanese, you're focusing on Australian made manufacturing and jobs for Australian workers. But are you concerned at all that that might send a negative message to the hundreds of thousands of migrants who want to work here in Australia?

ALBANESE: Not at all. Migrants, many of them, came to Australia and worked in our factories in the manufacturing sector. I’ll tell you what, there were a lot of migrants working in the car industry before this government told it to leave. Those people lost their jobs, their families are still suffering as a result of a government that failed to understand that we need to be a country that makes more things here. That is how you provide opportunity, making sure that you can produce, for example - manufacturing trains and trams and buses here in Australia is something that will create jobs here in Australia. And of course, people will benefit from that, all Australians. But historically, communities who've come here have played a really important role in the manufacturing sector. And I'm sure that that would continue to be the case.

PETERSEN: Today, you pointed to your support for Indigenous Affairs policy. So just how soon into a first term would you hold a referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in the Constitution?

ALBANESE: I would want to have a referendum in the first term. I'd consult with First Nations people about the timing and the detail of that. Linda Burney, of course, has already had extensive consultation. This was promised by the government. At the beginning of this term, they went to the last election saying they'd advance a Voice to Parliament, and nothing's happened. It is so typical of a government that's all promise and no delivery. And I would want as well to reach across the aisle; we know, historically, to get constitutional change you need bipartisan support to do that. And I would be hopeful that we will have a mandate, very clearly, from the Australian people if we're elected. We should be proud of the fact that our history includes the oldest continuous civilization on the planet, a history of some 65,000 years, and it should be a source of great pride. And all that the Voice is asking for is for First Nations people to be consulted about matters that affect them directly. That's just good manners. It's a very generous offer, and we should accept that offer.

PETERSEN: Thank you. That's Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese joining us from Launceston in Tasmania. 

ENDS