SUBJECTS: Failures of the Morrison Government during COVID-19; Labor’s policy agenda; rapid antigen tests; Federal election; Western Australia.
 
ANGELA BISHOP, HOST: Federal Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese, joins us now. Good morning.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Good morning.
 
BISHOP: You've previously endorsed Mark McGowan's border approach. But now the opening is delayed indefinitely. Do you agree with this new decision?
 
ALBANESE: I agree that Mark McGowan has kept West Australian's safe. And this decision is in line with that. He would be having a look today, for example, at 46 deaths here in New South Wales. The worst day of the entire pandemic here in New South Wales. The fact that, nationally, we have had over 600 deaths in the last week, we have aged care facilities that people are cut off from their relatives and loved ones. We have childcare centres that are closed. We have supermarkets that don't have meat or vegetables on their shelves available for people. And Mark McGowan comes from a state that has remote communities in big numbers that don't have high numbers of vaccination rates. And he is right to say that the evidence is the booster shot is absolutely vital to protect people from Omicron. So, it is a tough decision. I am disappointed. I was heading over to WA on the February 5 and had a range of appointments scheduled. But I respect the fact that Mark McGowan has taken the health advice. And he has always done the right thing by West Australians, which has kept their health okay, which is a precondition for keeping their economy okay. And their economy is booming. It is the most successful economy in Australia at the moment.
 
TRISTAN MACMANUS, HOST: For those wanting to return to WA on compassionate grounds, they will have to be triple vaccinated and return a negative rapid antigen test. Yet many Australians can't get their hands on them.
 
ALBANESE: That is right. That is what you have some delay here. It is extraordinary that the Morrison Government didn't learn the lessons from the failure in the rollout of the vaccine when they said it wasn't a race. It was always a race. Then it is a race to get people booster shots. Boosters were scheduled much later than other parts of the world that have been giving people booster shots for the whole of last year because we were so slow in the vaccine rollout. And the rapid antigen tests, it is easier to get the disease than it is to get a RAT here in parts of the Sydney and other parts of Australia. I note that even Joe Hockey was on the radio this morning talking about how he is involved with a company that wants to manufacture the rapid antigen tests here and they have had no Government support for doing that. It is just unbelievable, really, that the same mistakes have been repeated yet again. Always too little, too late.
 
BISHOP: The Prime Minister has denied claims that shipments of rapid tests meant for private suppliers have been diverted into the national stockpile. What are your thoughts?
 
ALBANESE: There is a ‘He said, she said’ argument going on there. The fact is we don't have enough rapid antigen tests being produced here. And the Government, his Government, has failed to support it. When approached by other companies, Scott Morrison's Government has said they are not interested. Like they said they weren't interested when Pfizer approached them originally. It is only last week that the Federal Government finally put in a tender for rapid antigen tests, for purchasing. And that is extraordinary. They were warned many, many months ago. The transport sector, for example, was warning at least for months ago about supply chain issues. The Secretary of the ACTU, Sally McManus, was out there publicly last July. All the health experts, we knew rapid antigen tests were necessary. I had my office this week trying to source some rapid antigen tests around the Inner West. I tell you what, it is easier to find a $100 bill rolling down Marrickville Road then it is to get a RAT on Marrickville Road. The only rats you can find that come from the gutters, frankly. Because people just can't find them in order to keep themselves safe and in order to be sure that they can go to work and keep themselves and the people they come into contact with safe. This has been a debacle. And Mark McGowan's response is not surprising, given the circumstances we find ourselves in.
 
MACMANUS: Recently there were claims that the Labor Party paid influencers to criticise Scott Morrison on TikTok without the authorisation for political content. Did that happen?
 
ALBANESE: No. We didn't pay anyone. The first I heard about it was when I was asked about it yesterday. The national office hasn't paid anybody for anything. You know the Morrison Government is in trouble when they try to get stories out there to distract from the issues that Australians are confronting. I want Scott Morrison’s Government to just do their job. Just to do their job. You don't need to encourage anyone, I have to say, you don't need to encourage anyone to put things on social media at the moment. There are a few good memes I saw yesterday about kids driving forklifts for example, when Scott Morrison came with that idea there not supported by anybody, Labor or Liberal, around the country when it came to the National Cabinet yesterday.
 
BISHOP: Before you go, Western Australia is going to be pretty crucial in the upcoming Federal election. As it stands, neither you nor the Prime Minister can get in there to do any campaigning. What do you think of that?
 
ALBANESE: That does make it difficult. I was intending to go on Saturday, February 5. But I continue to engage with West Australians in a virtual way. I spoke to two WA radio stations yesterday. I have other interviews scheduled next week. This program is going into WA. So, a shout-out to those West Australians out there. If you can get your booster shots, get it done.
 
MACMANUS: There we go. Federal Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese, thank you for joining us today.
 
ALBANESE: Thanks very much. Have a great day, everyone. Stay safe.
 
ENDS