SUBJECTS: COVID; Cost of living pressures; Inflation; Labor’s policy agenda; Morrison government always too little, too late; Election debates.
 
DAVID KOCH, HOST: Now the Labor leader has been in isolation this week, of course, but after testing positive COVID he's back on the campaign trail this morning. He joins us now for his first interview out of iso. Labor leader Anthony Albanese, morning to you. How are you feeling?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Good morning, Kochie. Good to be back.

KOCH: Did it knock you about? Are you up to it?

ALBANESE: I'm certainly up to it. It did knock me around. COVID has an impact on people's health, and I had a lot easier than others have had it. I didn't have any headaches, which was good, people have reported that being a major symptom. But I'm feeling much better. I had a rough couple of days, but that's what happens with this disease. But thank goodness I'm triple vaxxed. And what that does is alleviate the symptoms and the impact if you do catch COVID.

NATALIE BARR, HOST: Yeah, because Scott Morrison got a bit stuck in, he said he worked during his iso and you didn't do much. What do you think of that?

ALBANESE: Well, I think I'll leave those comments for other people to think about as well. There are millions of Australians have got COVID. All of the advice is you have to take the health advice first. That's what sensible people do. That's what I did. I did interviews each and every day during that period. We did a lot of work on policy. We have our campaign launch this Sunday, and I didn't want to get COVID, but if I was going to get it at any time, getting it so I'm out a couple of days before the campaign launch in Perth is probably the best timing that could have happened, notwithstanding the fact I'd rather have not had it at all. But if this was in a couple of weeks’ time it would have been a much bigger issue.

KOCH: What are going to be the key pillars of that campaign launch on Sunday?

ALBANESE: Well, a strong economy. Strengthening Medicare. Our plan for cheaper childcare and cheaper electricity prices. Our plan to lift wages. We know that the cost of everything is going up, but people's wages just aren't. And people are doing it really tough out there. And we need a plan going forward, a plan for the future. And my plan is about a better future. No one held back, no one left behind. And we'll be outlining further measures on top of the consolidation of our big message at this election campaign, which is after a decade in office, this government haven't learned the lessons of their mistakes. And they don't have a plan for the future. We do. We can do better if we have a better government.

BARR: So inflation is going up but it is around the world. In the UK, the US, Germany, every other country. It's what, 7 percent up to 8 percent, I think, in the US. So isn't that the war in Ukraine and the pandemic? Isn't it other factors, not what this government's done?

ALBANESE: This Prime Minister is happy to claim credit whenever things go well. But when things don't go right, it’s always blame someone else, it's never accept responsibility. The truth is in the US, we're not seeing the huge gap that's there between inflation and real wages. What we're seeing here is that real wages have been in decline over the last couple of years. We've seen inflation now go up to 5.1 percent. That's a huge figure, the highest in 20 years. And we see a government that's been complacent. A government they'd always look to blame someone else, never accept responsibility. We have a plan for cheaper childcare. We have a plan for lowering electricity prices. We have a plan to boost productivity by having our National Reconstruction fund, by having the National Broadband Network operate properly. We have a plan. This government won't even put in a submission to support a wage increase for people in the aged care sector, even though the Royal Commission recommends one and we know that people are leaving the sector, and unless we do something about workers’ wages in that sector, we won't have a workforce.

KOCH: Okay, power prices on the agenda today. Big increase in power prices, mainly in New South Wales and Queensland where they're still using coal fired power stations, not so much in the renewable areas. Simon Birmingham told us earlier power prices have dropped 8 percent under them, and their power policy will keep price increases low unlike yours, which is gold plated and will lead to bigger power price increases.

ALBANESE: It's just nonsense, Kochie. Which power policies did you ask him about? Because they've had 22 of them and haven't landed a single one. We've got one. It's based upon the Australian Energy Market Operator’s integrated systems plan of fixing transmission, bringing it up to the 21st century. Our plan has been modelled. It shows that electricity prices will fall by $275 a year per household by 2025. We can be a renewable energy superpower. We can create 604,000 new jobs. We can attract $52 billion of private sector investment. We can, at the same time while we're doing that, reduce emissions by 43 percent by 2030. We have a plan that's fully modelled out there. This government aren't capable of having an energy plan, because they're too divided between the Liberals and the Nationals, and within the Liberals and within the Nationals, and they don't like each other. We had, a couple of days ago, Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce, both being in Rockhampton, but they couldn't stand up together. A Prime Minister and a Deputy Prime Minister who can't get on the same page, and we'll have more of the same if they're elected. Australia can do better. We must do better. And we need to end the climate wars. We need to end it. That's why the Business Council have endorsed our plan. 
Barr: Well you know what, we have to end having two opposing people on the same program, on the same day, and you saying 'his is rubbish', and 'his is rubbish' and people at home thinking I don't have any idea what is going on here. So Scott Morrison has committed to a primetime debate on Seven next Thursday. You haven't committed to that yet. Are you going to?

ALBANESE: Scott Morrison has been trying to say 'I'll decide when every debate will be'. I've given a range of dates to Channel Seven in which I'm available. And I'm flexible about venues. And those discussions need to take place between the National Secretaries of the Liberal Party and the Labor Party. I'm certainly up for a debate.

KOCH: So what have you got on Thursday night? What's more important? 

ALBANESE: Well, I have another appointment at that time. That has been long standing, Kochy. I've given dates to Mark Riley, a range of dates, including next Friday, and a range of dates the following week.

BARR: Okay, well, we'll get our people to talk to your people, and to Scomo's people, because I think we need a debate here.

KOCH: What is this Thursday date you’ve got? Is it a family thing or a business thing?

ALBANESE: It's a commitment. If I make a commitment to be on your program, Kochie, have I ever broken it? No. 

KOCH: You take a while to get back to us sometimes. 

ALBANESE: That's not right. That's not right. I'm desperate to be on Sunrise. I spoke to Sunrise about a regular spot.

KOCH: Well you knocked her back, her being Natalie Barr a couple weeks ago.

BARR: We'll talk about that. Okay, we'll get Mark Riley and both of you to talk because we definitely want that debate on, because I think people want to know what everyone's talking about. So we thank you very much.

ALBANESE: Exactly. What needs to happen here, and what's always happened is a bit of maturity. Scott Morrison is not in charge of what everyone does at all times. What happens is that the Liberal Party and the Labor Party sort out dates for debates. And that's the way it works. We've proposed debates at the National Press Club…

KOCH: You're not turning this into a big swinging proverbial, okay, as long as you're realistic.

ALBANESE: You've just got to be sensible about this. I fit it in and changed my arrangements last time around to fit in with him. He does doesn't get to decide everything.

KOCH: Well you've got to fly to Perth, so thanks very much. 

ALBANESE: Thanks, guys.

ENDS