SUBJECTS: Great Barrier Reef; COVID; young people; music
 
DAVE, HOST: Good morning, it is Dave and Inkie here, for anyone who hasn't noticed yet there is an election coming up, next Saturday we go to the polls federally. And joining us in the studio right now Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Anthony Albanese! Good morning.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Good. Morning. Great to be here. Good to be in Cairns. Beautiful day out there.

INKIE, HOST: Thank you for bringing the sunshine because we've had weeks and weeks of rain so it must have been you that flew in last night with the sunshine.

ALBANESE: I’ll claim it.

DAVE: Welcome back to Far North Queensland, Mr. Albanese. Now, you've announced some funding for the Great Barrier Reef?

ALBANESE: We have! An additional $194 million for the reef, to protect the reef from climate change, to work with farmers and make sure that we protect the reef from runoff.

DAVE: Yep.

ALBANESE: But also additional funding for Landcare rangers that’s so important, and also for native species, conservation, including to protect our koalas, but also take action against the crazy ants.

DAVE: Right, yeah.

ALBANESE: That's an issue up here as well.

DAVE: Yeah, that's true. I just want to put this to you. Because I was thinking about this yesterday. And when we look back, there's been you know, throughout history and generations, it hasn't been easy, particularly, for any generation, but I'm just thinking about my kids at the moment. And the generation coming through, fairly troubled times at the moment. I was just sort of going through –

ALBANESE: They’ve had it tough.

DAVE: They have, they have. Like if you look back at maybe my parents’ generation, baby boomers that, you know, they had the choice of their job, they could afford a house, they had free university education. You look at our kids now they've had their life disrupted by COVID. 

INKIE: Yeah.

DAVE: Their education has been disrupted, they'll probably never own their own home. The planet is one of their biggest concerns and climate change, global warming. What's happening there? It's not easy for our youth at the moment, is it? Mr. Albanese?

ALBANESE: It certainly isn't. I've got a 21-year-old son, Nathan. And he didn't get to go to on to campus at university for almost two years, during the pandemic.

INKIE: That’s tough.

ALBANESE: So part of going to uni, and studying –

INKIE: It’s the experience!

ALBANESE: Yeah, it’s mixing with your mates, it’s getting new friends all of that, none of that happened. It was all online. He of course, for long periods of time couldn't go out, everything was shut. So, when you're 19 and 20 –

DAVE: Yes!

ALBANESE: They’re great years, they are. You go out and you have a good time. Sometimes too good a time.

INKIE: And you want to come out the back end of it, knowing that there's a job there for you and you could afford a house, and you know, and live a fantastic life.

ALBANESE: And work used to be, you know, when I was at school, people would come in, the careers advisers, and you’d think about a job that you might do for 20 years. Nowadays -and I started work at the Commonwealth Bank on the Monday after my last HSC exam. 

INKIE: Did you!

ALBANESE: Just straight away, I'd applied for all these jobs and looking for offers. And nowadays, of course, people have five or six careers in their life, they might need to retrain, work’s far more insecure than it used to be. Housing Affordability is a major issue, and they are worried about the state of the planet.

DAVE: Yes.

ALBANESE: And I think for many young people, they think to themselves, well hang on, these older people aren't as worried about climate change as I am but I'm going to be here for longer. How about they get their act together, which is what we need to do on climate change.

DAVE: It is a really important issue isn't it. 

ALBANESE: It sure is.

DAVE: I mean, you're on the campaign trail, can I ask how many hours sleep, on average, would you get a night because I mean –

ALBANESE: Not enough is the answer. I got in pretty close to midnight last night. I had an event in Brisbane last night and then flew up. Yesterday I did Sydney, Gladstone, Brisbane and Cairns, later today we'll fly to Darwin this afternoon after we go out on the reef so it's a busy time, but no one makes us do it.

DAVE: Do you get to log frequent flyer points for that or no?

ALBANESE: No, no, they got taken away a long time ago. So no, that doesn't happen. But both Scott Morrison and myself have two planes, one with us and advisors and there's a media plane as well flies us around.

DAVE: Beautiful. Um, can you just stick around for a few more minutes Mr. Albanese, we've got a game coming up: ‘Take It Easy Albanese’. We're going to test your musical knowledge, I do know that you love a lot of 90s Australian music. So we're going to play you some stuff. Take It Easy Albanese, you have the most rhymeable name in politics.

INKIE: It is a great last name. But for those who just don't know, like we were just talking about music just then, some of them, like the most amazing concerts that you've ever been to. You said Nirvana at Big Day Out. Like you just love music.

ALBANESE: I do and I and I've, I've DJed a bit for a charity. 

INKIE: You’re a DJ?

ALBANESE: Yeah it’s good fun!

INKIE: Mix up the beat!

ALBANESE: You can look at my Spotify list out there. One of the highlights of my life is hosting Rage way back in 2013 when I was –

INKIE: Did you?!

ALBANESE: When I was Deputy Prime Minister, and I did the scream. I did the scream. It’s up there on YouTube. I don't know how well I did it, sitting there on the couch, that you do, but that was great fun and I got to play lots of stuff that I like and some obscure stuff. So I played Lee Remick by the Go-Betweens –

DAVE: Oh yep, great band, great band.

ALBANESE: Lots of Australian music as well.

[BREAK]

DAVE: We are joined in the studio right now, very special guest, by Leader of the Opposition Mr. Anthony Albanese, Albo’s a big music fan.

INKIE: Loves music!

DAVE: Went and saw Nirvana at the first Big Day Out!

INKIE: I know, how amazing!

DAVE: Brilliant!

ALBANESE: Right place, right time.

DAVE: So we’ve got the Red Hot Summer Tour happening here in Cairns tomorrow, awesome Aussie artists on the bill. We've got two people on the phone that can win tickets Albo.

ALBANESE: Who's on the bill? Who's playing?

DAVE: We've got, it’s headlined by Hunters, then we’ve got James Reyne, Baby Animals, I think Killing Heidi, there is Boom Crash Opera, James Reyne, The Living End and I'm really looking forward to it.

ALBANESE: Fantastic!

DAVE: Yeah, so it's gonna be a big gig.

ALBANESE: Living End are great live.

DAVE: Yeah, exactly, and pressure’s on you at the moment Albo because two people are relying on you to get all four of these questions right because if you do, they will win a double pass with it. Firstly, Rachel in Earlville. G’day Rachel!

RACHEL IN EARLVILLE: Hi, how are you?

INKIE: Good! And we've also got Michelle in Edmonton. Good morning, Michelle.

MICHELLE IN EDMONTON: Good morning.

DAVE: Good luck, Rachel, Michelle. If Albo gets all four of these questions right, you win a double pass. All right, so we're gonna put you on hold –

ALBANESE: Good morning Rachel and Michelle, what happens if I get half of them right, do they get one ticket?

DAVE: We've got faith I think yeah, I've got faith in you. I know you know your music. So I think we're going to be alright, but wait and see. 

INKIE: We are playing a game called Take It Easy Albanese. So we've got four grabs of four songs here Albo you need to identify the artist or the band for each of these audio grabs. You don't need to name the song but just the grabs. Because your name rhymes with everything. Especially it rhymes with easy, these songs have the word easy in them. Have a listen to the first one you need to tell us who sings this, which band, have a listen Albo.

[MUSIC STARTS]

ALBANESE: Oh. The legendary Queen.

DAVE: Yes it is! I love the fact he says as it started, I think two notes he was like, “ah, that’s easy.” All right, too easy Anthony Albanese. Here comes our next one, have a listen.

[MUSIC STARTS]

ALBANESE: That’s The Eagles.

DAVE: It is The Eagles. That's two out of two, a 100% strike rate so far.

ALBANESE: They’ve got one ticket already I reckon.

DAVE: I think we have. Alrighty, here comes the third song.

[MUSIC STARTS]

ALBANESE: Faith No More.

DAVE: You are nailing this. Wow. Easy like Albanese. Easy. Alright, one more to go. So Rach, and Michelle, this is looking pretty good. Here comes the last one.

[MUSIC STARTS]

ALBANESE: Such a distinctive voice. I saw her when she came out at, well, I don't know what it's called now, but Olympic Stadium in Sydney and it was extraordinary, in the round.

DAVE: Yep, she's got talent.

ALBANESE: Oh, she's just amazing, she’s got a great voice.

DAVE: And we're talking about?

ALBANESE: Adele.

DAVE: Yes! Well done, Rachel, there's a double pass to the Red Hot Summer Tour for you. Well played Rach.

RACHEL IN EARLVILLE: Awesome!

DAVE: Good work. And also Michelle, well done to you a double pass is yours, too. We'll see you at the gig tomorrow. 

MICHELLE IN EDMONTON: Thank you very much!

DAVE: Thank you, Mr Anthony Albanese!

ALBANESE: Enjoy the gig!

RACHEL IN EARLVILLE: Yeah!

MICHELLE IN EDMONTON: Thanks for that!

ALBANESE: Vote Labor at prepoll on the way!

DAVE: Thank you very much Mr. Anthony Albanese! Just want to say we have taken up so much of your time this morning.

INKIE: Yeah, so sorry!

DAVE: But it's been great being able to sit in here and have a bit of a chat with you and a yarn, good luck in a week and a bit’s time. And thanks for popping in having a chat today.

ALBANESE: Been terrific. Thanks very much and have a great day everyone.

DAVE: Thank you Mr. Anthony Albanese.

ENDS