SUBJECTS: Visit to WA; WA borders reopening; Federal election; Labor’s policy agenda; Premier Mark McGowan; floods affecting the East Coast of Australia; climate change; Ukraine; commuter carpark rorts; Anthony Byrne.
 
KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: Anthony Albanese joins me live from Perth. The Opposition Leader was on the first flight to WA with the reopened borders. Thanks for your time, as always. I'll get to talk about WA in a moment. But on the floods, the Federal Government's committed $375 million in conjunction with New South Wales, an enhanced support package. Do you welcome that, from what you're seeing so far?
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: I do welcome it. But we need to do whatever is necessary, Kieran. As you know, a range of the support just kicks in automatically now, once you have areas designated as being subject to natural disasters. And what we're seeing is devastating impacts. Most importantly, a devastating human life impact that we've seen in both Queensland and New South Wales tragically. But we're also seeing devastation. I was up in Brisbane, of course, a couple of days ago, talking to people who were rescuing their fellow Australians in dinghies down suburban streets. It was an extraordinary thing to hear firsthand. But once again, we're seeing the best of Australians at the darkest of times. Australians pitch in, they help each other, they make sacrifices. And a special shout-out to our emergency service workers, our SES workers, who are doing fantastic work on the ground across such a vast part of the East Coast now.
 
GILBERT: Barnaby Joyce, I spoke to him earlier on the program. And he conceded that, yes, given this unique event, it's quite obviously that climate has changed, otherwise, you wouldn't have had that sort of record events. So, members of the Coalition who previously might not have made that link are seeing it. Sadly, we can expect more of these unprecedented type storms and events, can't we?
 
ALBANESE: We can, Kieran. During the bushfire crisis of 2019/20, the Coalition went completely over the top if anyone suggested there might be a link with climate change. What we know is that Australia has always suffered from natural disasters. So, you can't say every single flood or every single bushfire or every cyclone is a result of climate change. What you can do, though, is look at the trends. Here in Perth, they've just had the hottest summer on record. We're seeing more extreme events. The floods of this week that we're seeing are exceeding the predictions that were there from the Bureau of Meteorology. I spoke to the head of the Bureau just this morning. They're very worried about the next few days. We've seen, of course, areas that flooded in 2011 flood again in Queensland. But we've seen other areas that weren't the subject of these floods. And then we see another wave of coming in. So, the IPCC report on climate change just this week said that Australia was particularly susceptible to the impact of climate change, that we would see more events, and they would be more extreme and more frequent. That's the point here, Kieran. And that's why Australia has to step up the efforts. It's good Barnaby Joyce is acknowledging the link with climate change. That's a good thing. I welcome that. Maybe he should stop the resistance to action on climate change as part of global action. We can't do it by ourselves. But we can be good partners with the Biden administration, with our European friends, with the United Kingdom under Boris Johnson and others, who want Australia to take stronger action.
 
GILBERT: Anthony Byrne, long-time member for Holt, he's going to not recontest his seat at the upcoming election. Did you encourage him to hang up his boots given what went on there at the corruption commission?
 
ALBANESE: It is a decision that Anthony came to himself. He put out, I think, a very dignified statement. He's made an extraordinary contribution to not just the Labor Party, but to the Parliament, as Chair and Deputy Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee that operates on a bipartisan basis. He's played such a constructive role. I thank him for his contribution. And I wish him well into the future. He's a very decent human being, Anthony Byrne. He's respected across the Parliament. And I wish him well.
 
GILBERT: The WA Premier, Mark McGowan, was asked whether or not he's doing any media with you over the next couple of days. He said no. Why is that?
 
ALBANESE: Well, because the WA Premier has a certain court case back in New South Wales. I'm speaking to you outside his office. We just did photos and had a long chat here. He's a very good friend of mine, Mark McGowan. And he's doing a great job as the Premier of Western Australia.
 
GILBERT: Okay. So, no, we shouldn't read anything into it, he will back your campaign then?
 
ALBANESE: Of course, he will. And he's a good friend of mine. We've been friends for a very long period of time. We bonded through our joint friendship with a fellow called Kim Beazley, who we both campaigned for. I've been a mate of his for over two decades now. And Mark McGowan, I appreciate his advice. I'll be working with him during the Federal campaign, of course. Though, his priority, of course, is to do his job as State Premier. But he has to appear in a court case back in Sydney. That's been well-known because Clive Palmer, you know, Scott Morrison's mate who Scott Morrison backed Clive Palmer in the court case here in Western Australia, is suing Mark McGowan, trying to once again take more taxpayer funds from Western Australian. And Mark McGowan has been a strong opponent of Clive Palmer. And he got it right then. Mark McGowan has made all the big calls right.
 
GILBERT: A couple of other ones. I know that Labor Party has been critical of the Government's carpark program. $65 million worth of which has been cancelled in Melbourne by the Treasurer and his own seat. You'd welcome that then, wouldn't you?
 
ALBANESE: Well, this is just red-hot, Kieran. Why was it given in the first place? The problem with this Government is the waste that is there. Every decision is just about short-term politics. So, whether it's funding for commuter carparks, or sports grants, or even community safety, they got out the colour-coded spreadsheets and allocated it according to political need, rather than the needs of the Australian community. This is treating taxpayers' funds as if it was Liberal Party funds. It's outrageous that Josh Frydenberg directed all those funds into his own seat. And now, he's had to abandon them. Because you've got commuter car parks that were funded where there's no train station anymore, Kieran. No train stations. It is just beyond belief, the rorting that has gone on. It's one of the reasons why we need a National Anti-corruption Commission with teeth to make sure that Government is held to account for the use of taxpayer dollars.
 
GILBERT: Before you go, we've got a minute left, I have to ask you about the biggest story in the world. And Putin has been described by opposition figures in the Kremlin, in Moscow, as the deranged dictator in the Kremlin. How worried are you as to where he goes if he becomes desperate now in the face of Ukrainian resistance?
 
ALBANESE: Well, you have to worry about the quite extraordinarily destructive and dangerous comments that this guy has made about nuclear weapons, about threatening the rest of the world. Well, the rest of the world will stand up for democracy. And we stand with the people of Ukraine. All Australians are united. The Ukrainian people are showing, I think, incredible fortitude against the odds. This is a very big nation on their doorstep with vastly superior military capacity. And the Ukrainian people are saying, 'No, we're not going to roll over. We're going to defend our sovereignty and defend our democracy'. And I stand with them. I'm sure you stand with them, Kieran. And the world stands with them as well.
 
GILBERT: We certainly do. Mr Albanese, thanks for joining us live from Perth.
 
ALBANESE: Thanks very much, Kieran. And good to see you back in good health.
 
GILBERT: Appreciate it. Back after a bit of isolation, as so many of us experience right now. And thank you for your company this afternoon.
 
ENDS