SUBJECTS: ALP Special Platform Conference; Labor’s National Reconstruction Fund; paid parental leave; Labor policies.
 
DAVID KOCH, HOST: The Australian Labor Party conference starts today where Shadow Ministers and Party members will discuss future policies with a Federal election coming up next year. One key Labor plan will be to establish a National Reconstruction Fund. Opposition Leader, Anthony Albanese, says it would create secure jobs, drive regional development, and diversify the economy. Labor also wants to radically revamp paid parental leave, with plans for mums and dads to take six months off at full pay. Opposition Leader, Anthony Albanese, joins me now from Sydney. Good to see you. Tell us more about your $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund. How will it benefit Australians?
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: How it will benefit Australia is by lifting up the investment that we need in existing and new and emerging industries by providing availability of investments, including through superannuation funds, to drive that private sector growth. We need to be a much more resilient economy, Kochie. We have had some of our weaknesses exposed during the pandemic. And this fund is aimed at national reconstruction. Just as we had reconstruction after the Second World War, after this international crisis, we need to reconstruct Australia so that we are stronger in the future.
 
KOCH: You are also going to finalise a policy for six months paid parental leave at full salary. That seems too good to be true. How would that work and who would pay for it?
 
ALBANESE: This is the same policy in the platform that we had at the last election. It is an aspiration of where we want to go to in the medium term. We will fully cost out that policy and put a time frame on it in Government. But we have always said that paid parental leave is so important. For example, if you have six months you could have three months for both parents to have off. And that is a policy that I think will resonate with Australians. We also have a fixed timetable to bring in cheaper childcare for 97 per cent of families. That would kick in from the first of July 2022.
 
KOCH: Anthony Albanese, good luck with the conference. Everyone will be watching those new policies. Appreciate your time.
 
ALBANESE: Thanks very much, Kochie.
 
ENDS