SUBJECTS: Caroline Kennedy; Morrison Government’s rorting; MYEFO; Labor’s policy agenda; COVID-19 pandemic; climate change; Labor’s Powering Australia Plan; skills; need for a National Anti-Corruption Commission; Federal election.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Thanks for joining me. Firstly, I want to very much welcome the appointment of Caroline Kennedy as Joe Biden's nominee to be the United States Ambassador to Australia. President Biden's choice is a great one. Caroline Kennedy, of course, is from a very famous family, as JFK and Jackie's daughter. But she also has served as a diplomat to Japan in the region and is a powerful figure in the Democratic Party, of which, of course, the Australian Labor Party has particularly good relations. So, I welcome very much this nomination. It's a senior nomination. And it shows the importance of the Australia-US alliance, which this year, of course, we're celebrating its 70th anniversary. And that alliance, of course, had its foundations in John Curtin in 1942. Turning to America to support Australia in our darkest hour. Since then, we've always had good relations with the United States. They're our most important ally. But in addition to that, we have a lot of work to do in the future. A lot of work on climate change, where President Biden's vision is similar to the vision that I have and that an incoming Labor Government would look forward to working on climate change as an important national security issue in the Indo-Pacific region. So, I very much welcome this appointment. And I look forward to the nomination being supported through the US processes.
 
I want to welcome you to Hammond Park in Ashfield. We're in the electorate of Reid. Just across the road there is the electorate of Grayndler. They are very similar communities. You can't tell the community based upon what side of the road you're on. But for this Government that looks at the electoral map, they're very different in terms of the approach. On this side of the road, you have some $14.8 million of community infrastructure funding from this Government through discretionary grants. On the other side of the road, in my electorate of Grayndler, you have $700,000. So, if you live on this side of the road, you are more than 20 times more likely to get government support than if you live just across the road in the same suburb. And it just shows how appalling the politicisation and the rorting that has gone on from the Morrison Government is. This is a bankrupt Government. It's a Government that has lost its moral compass. It's a Government which, at the end of its third term, imagine how bad they would be if they got a fourth term. Because when this has been pointed out to Scott Morrison, he arrogantly dismissed it yesterday and suggested it was just about the lobbying from local MPs.
 
Well, the truth is that this electorate of Reid had a retiring MP and just had a new candidate at the last election. It doesn't explain the rorts that have occurred in Sydney, in Melbourne, in Brisbane, in Adelaide, in Perth, in Tasmania, right around the country. And that's why we need a National Anti-Corruption Commission. A National Anti-Corruption Commission would have oversight of government activity to make sure that the abuse that's occurring of taxpayer funds, which has reached a pandemic, it is just extraordinary the actions that have been taken. And every day we get a reminder of why we need a National Anti-Corruption Commission.
 
I'd say this as well, that one of the things that has characterised Scott Morrison's Prime Ministership is he's a divisive figure. He never misses an opportunity to divide the nation. And this is just another example whereby depending upon which side of the road you live on here, you either get eligibility for grants, including in this electorate, of course, one of the grants was for a breeding pond for native turtles at a local school. Now, it may well be that was a worthwhile project. But does he not think that there are projects at schools where people are being taught in demountables in my electorate that are worthy of support? The fact is that this Prime Minister is going out of his way to tell millions of Australians that he's not on your side. He's saying that if you can't do something for him, then you're on your own and he won't do anything for you. That is Scott Morrison's motto. Very clearly, only interested in providing support for people who can do something for him. Not interested in doing support for people unless they can offer him something in return. Otherwise, you're just on your own. It says a lot about this Prime Minister. And imagine how bad they will be if they get a fourth term. I expect further buckets of money from these pots of money that they've set up in discretionary grants to be flowing selectively to some marginal seats during the next election campaign. And that, of course, is why they're having a Budget projected bring-forward in March. The reason why they want to have a budget, and why a MYEFO is coming down today with potentially more discretionary funds set up with decisions taken but not announced, is so that they can make Government decisions, not election promises, Government decisions without the proper advice of departments, without any proper scrutiny, and treating taxpayer funds as if they are Liberal and National Party funds. But I'll say this to the Prime Minister. There might be a divide on this street, depending upon what side you're on, over whether you have access to support from the Federal Government for discretionary grants, but you pay the same rate of tax on that side of the street as you do on this side of the street. And that's why this is corrupt. That's why this has to be called out. That's why this has to be stopped.
 
JOURNALIST: Just on the MYEFO update, how quickly would you move to repair the Budget and what kind of unemployment rates would indicate that it's time to shift focus?
 
ALBANESE: Well, what we've seen from this Government, of course, is economic concern that began well before the pandemic. The truth is they had doubled the debt before the pandemic. Since then, we see a trillion dollars of debt. A trillion dollars of debt. And nothing to show for it. And I note Simon Birmingham's interview this morning, on ABC Radio National. Simon Birmingham tried to use two examples of where Labor would commit to more investment and tried to draw a parallel between that and the rorting of discretionary grants. Now, the two issues that he raised were cheaper childcare, that Labor will offer for every woman when we move towards universal provision of affordable childcare, and to every family, not based upon what electorate you're in, not based upon whether you can do something politically for an incoming Government, but based upon good policy. Good policy that will produce $2 return for every dollar that's invested. That will boost productivity, it will boost women's workforce participation. And the other example that he used was free TAFE. And I'm pleased that he's noticed that Labor will deliver 465,000 free TAFE places. Again, not allocated with colour-coded sheets, not allocated to just some seats but not to others. But allocated on the basis of the need for skills, regardless of where people live. If you're in an area of skill shortage, that 465,000 free TAFE places and 20,000 additional university places will fill the skill shortages that are there in areas like electrical, in areas like bricklaying, in areas as well, in terms of the university places, like nursing, like engineering. Boosts that will assist our economy and economic growth. That's where Labor's priority is. And it says a lot about this Government that the Government Leader in the Senate, and the nation's Finance Minister, doesn't draw a distinction between funding for TAFE, funding for childcare that will produce an economic return, and pork-barrelling that's about producing a political return. What we need is a Government that stands up for the national interest. And in MYEFO today, what we want to see from the Government is actually plans to assist. And we don't mind if they pinch the policies. And there's two that they should pinch. They should offer free TAFE in those areas of skill shortage, because that will produce a return. And they should support Labor's plan for cheaper childcare.
 
JOURNALIST: In terms of the unemployment rate what rate would you see it is time to shift focus?
 
ALBANESE: Well, the unemployment rate, of course, hides what's really happening in the labour market. The fact is, there are 2 million Australians who are either unemployed or want more work. So, you don't register as being unemployed in terms of the unemployment rate if you're driving an Uber for hours because you can't get any other work, if you're delivering food to people's home, if you're working in casual work in retail or hospitality for five or six hours a week. The truth is that we have 2 million Australians who are either unemployed or underemployed. And that's why, at the same time, we need to address skilling up those people, offering them the opportunity to be able to fill permanent jobs and to be able to have a secure standard of living.
 
JOURNALIST: Given the cost of COVID on the deficit, is it prudent to be offering tax cuts before the election?
 
ALBANESE: Well, we'll wait and see what the Government has to say in that area. Of course, tax cuts were legislated earlier on in this term. And we've said that we won't seek to change those legislated tax cuts. But we'll see what the Government has to offer. We know that at the moment, the LMITO, the low- and middle-income tax offsets, will mean that people get an increase in their tax rate if you're a low- or middle-income earner on July next year.
 
JOURNALIST: Labor has been complaining about record high petrol prices, but the Government doesn't control supply or OPEC decision. So, is this really a fair criticism? And if so, will you commit to lowering them?
 
ALBANESE: On this Government's watch, two of the refineries in this country have shut down. n this Government's watch, when we spoke about the need for fuel reserves, they announced that they're having fuel reserves in the Gulf of Mexico, in the United States. This is a Government that aren't on top of these issues at all, that are ignoring the cost of living. And the big issue today, of course, I note that they're talking about wages again, the truth is that Australians know their wages have gone backwards compared with the standard of living. And this Government has made, on more than 40 occasions, they've said, 'Here's the wages target that it's going to hit. Here are the predictions', and on more than 40 occasions, they've got it wrong. In the last Budget, the Government suggested that wages would be going backwards in real terms over the forward estimates over the next four years. The truth is that wages aren't keeping up with the cost of living. This Government is out of touch. That's why it continues to pat itself on the back. That's why Scott Morrison's response, frankly, yesterday was one of the most extraordinarily arrogant responses from a Prime Minister to any issue that I have seen in my time in politics. He had a serious issue on the front page of Australia's newspapers about the rorting of funds. And he tried to make a joke about it and suggested it was just all about his members being good local members. Whereas we know that those decisions are made in some cases for programs that the general public and other Members of Parliament don't even know exists. The best example of that, of course, is commuter carparks and other programs whereby not just Government members, but Liberal and National Party candidates, are approached about their priorities for the use of taxpayer funds when they're not even Members of Parliament. This Government and its arrogance are out of control. This Prime Minister is so full of hubris and so full of himself that he sees the entire process of our national Government as being a personal vanity project, whereby he thinks he's entitled to only give support to people who will give support to him.
 
JOURNALIST: You touched on wages earlier. Today's update is saying that the forecast is likely to increase. So, you don't share Treasury's optimism about wage growth?
 
ALBANESE: Well, we'll wait and see. MYEFO hasn't actually come down yet. I know there have been various selective leaks. Jim Chalmers will be responding fully to the MYEFO later on. And I'll leave those comments to him.
 
JOURNALIST: Australia's biggest electricity retailers want a 55 per cent emission reduction target by 2035. Can Labor commit to reaching that by the same date?
 
ALBANESE: Well, Labor has our commitments. They are net zero by 2050. They're 43 per cent by 2030. Our plan, which is fully costed, which has been modelled, and we've released some modelling on the day we released the plan, unlike this Government, will create 604,000 jobs. It will see the national energy market powered by renewables of above 80 per cent. It will see $52 billion of private investment in infrastructure and other economic activity that will boost those jobs. And it will see, across the national electricity market, an average fall in electricity prices by $275 in our first term, by 2025. Our plan is a serious plan. That's why it's been backed by the Business Council of Australia, who know a bit about business, by the Australian industry group, who know a bit about industry, by the National Farmers' Federation, who know a little bit about agriculture in the farming sector, and by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, who want to ensure that workers interests are defended. I think the overwhelming support that we have for our plan is there. And it stands in stark contrast to a Prime Minister who went to Glasgow, gave an empty speech to an empty room and then the Government signed up to a communique that committed to a higher target in 2030 and then hours later, put out a media release saying that wouldn't do it.
 
ENDS