SUBJECTS: Labor’s Plan for Cheaper Childcare; Cost of Living; Wage growth stagnation; Interest rates; Submission to the Fair Work Commission; Final leaders’ debate; Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry speech; A Prime Minister who’s loose with the truth.
 
CATHERINE RENSHAW, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR NORTH SYDNEY: Hi, I'm Catherine Renshaw, the Labor candidate for North Sydney. We're here in Willoughby, the heart of the electorate. We've just had an amazing conversation with local mums, dads and carers about early childhood, early childhood education, some of the stresses and costs of living on parents trying to raise families these days. It's been an amazing conversation. It's fantastic have Georgie Dent with me, Amanda Rishworth, and Anthony Albanese. So Georgie.
 
GEORGIE DENT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE PARENTHOOD: Yeah, thank you very much, Catherine. My name is Georgie Dent. I am the Executive Director of The Parenthood and I am absolutely thrilled that The Parenthood was able to bring a group of parents and carers to sit around a table and talk directly to Anthony Albanese, Amanda Rishworth and Catherine Renshaw. The conversation today focused primarily on the need for parents and families to be supported. We know that the cost of early childhood education and care is crippling for families. Aside from housing, it is usually the biggest source of financial pain. We know that the out of pocket cost for early childhood education and care is up 15 per cent since the May 2019 Election. That means when you put that against a background of stagnant wage growth, and soaring cost of living, it means for lots of families they are effectively in real terms going backwards. Making early childhood education and care radically more affordable and accessible is the smartest economic and social reform we can pursue. I'm incredibly grateful that when we extended an invitation to Anthony Albanese to sit with some of our members and talk through these issues directly with families, they were willing to do so. I'm really heartened by that commitment. Today's conversation was honest and raw and real, because these issues are personal and real and hard. Personally, as an organisation that's committed to making Australia the best place in the world to be a parent, I think today's conversation was incredibly valuable, and I'm really grateful for the opportunity for our members to have this conversation today. Thank you.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Thank you so much, Georgie, and thanks to Catherine Renshaw. It's good to be back in the electorate of North Sydney as the Labor Leader for the second time during this campaign. It's great to be with Amanda Rishworth, our amazing early learning, childhood and childcare spokesperson, who has done such a fantastic job. Our childcare policy is the most significant on-budget commitment that we have made during this campaign. We made it in my first budget reply, because it was obvious what the needs were. Advocacy groups like The Parenthood have played a critical role in that and I thank Georgie for her advocacy, for her strength, and for her energy in just driving this. Today we've heard from parents who've traveled, not just from Sydney, from Adelaide and Brisbane, right around the country, a diverse group of parents all though with a common theme, which is that government needs to do better. We need to do better on the issue of looking after our youngest Australians. This, of course is not welfare. It's really important. This is about economic reform. This is economic reform that will drive productivity, that will drive workforce participation, particularly economic participation for women, as well as being good for children. There's been some research done by the Grattan Institute that shows that our plan for cheaper childcare will increase the hours worked by secondary earners with young children by 8 per cent. Now, what does that represent? That represents unlocking an additional 220,000 days of work a week for the second income earners who we know are predominantly women. That is the equivalent of putting 44,000 additional people into the workforce. 44,000, think of the productivity boost that comes with that. That is why this is so important. Before I ask Amanda to make some comments as well, I do want to make some comments about the issue of wages. I note that Scott Morrison is once again being loose with the truth. What we're talking about here is the lowest paid workers in Australia. Those people who are really struggling with cost of living increases. And what Scott Morrison says is that it's okay to find $30 million for a block of land that's worth $3 million. It's okay he's government can always find money for sports rorts, for commuter car park rorts, for all of this activity. But he's okay to waste those billions of dollars, a billion dollars literally on advertising of the government itself. But backing a $1 an hour pay increase is not okay. Workers who are paid $20.33 an hour to be paid $1 extra. That is what this debate is about. Scott Morrison has had a conscious decision over the last decade of driving down wages. They say it's a key feature of their economic architecture and they have indeed, achieved that. I'll get Amanda to make some comments.
 
AMANDA RISHWORTH, SHADOW MINISTER FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT: Thank you very much, Anthony. It's wonderful to be here with Georgie who's been an amazing advocate and to listen to all those stories around the tables, stories of parents and some of the things that governments can do better to help them be the best parents they can be. It was wonderful to speak with parents here, but these are the same conversations I'm actually having right around the country, that childcare is just too expensive. One of the parents that we heard from today summed it up perfectly, they said sometimes going back to work feels like an expensive hobby. And that is because childcare is just too expensive. That's why Labor has a comprehensive plan to make childcare cheaper in this country, a plan that will make 96 per cent of families better off as a result. But the research that Anthony mentioned before, research done by the Grattan Institute also demonstrates that this policy, in addition to supporting people with the cost of living, is also about economic growth. This is an economic policy, which will allow more women, particularly, to return to the workforce, to actually grow our economy. We know businesses out there now want skilled workers. Well, there are workers at home, and the barrier to going and working more hours is that cost of childcare. 44,000 equivalent full time jobs is what our policy will unleash, and the economic growth that Grattan points to means that our policy is equal to a $10 billion infrastructure project. This is infrastructure for families that Labor's investing in, and it is backed up by our commitment to an early years strategy that will look across the Commonwealth at all the programs and make sure our programs for children in the early years is working together. It's backed up by our commitment to other supports, such as playgroups and toy libraries. It's only the Labor Party in this election that is putting families front and centre, focused on the cost of living, but importantly, looking at policies that deliver economic growth. The independent analysis is in, this delivers for our whole community, but also for our whole economy. It's good policy, and it should be backed in.
 
ALBANESE: Order. When you're finished, I'll give someone the call.
 
JOURNALIST: Mr Albanese, next year if inflation rises by 7 per cent, would you advocate for a wage hike of 7 per cent?
 
ALBANESE: What we're talking about here is a circumstance, whereby, people have been going backwards. During this campaign we have made it very clear that people are being left behind, and that on this Government's watch that the cost of everything is going up. The cost of everything is going up but people's wages aren't.
 
JOURNALIST: In government, will your submission to the Fair Work Commission recommend a 5.1 per cent wage increase? And if not, have you jumped the gun on this?
 
ALBANESE: Not at all, we've been running—
 
JOURNALIST: You won't include one, or?
 
ALBANESE: We have been running a campaign every day of this campaign, about cost of living. And one of the things of our campaign, including at the campaign launch, was no one left behind. What we're talking about here is the circumstances right now, where people are doing it really tough, they're on $20.33 an hour. $20.33 an hour. Those people will not benefit from any of the tax cuts that will come in. They are on $20.33 an hour. The cost of everything that they buy is going up, but their wages aren't. Scott Morrison says that that's okay. When I raised in the debate on Channel Nine, on Sunday night, I got two questions to the Prime Minister. I prioritised the issue of should Australians be paid at least a minimum wage, he couldn't even agree to that. While we're on channel nine.
 
JOURNALIST: Just on increasing the minimum wage by 5.1 per cent. Do you accept though that there are broader implications with that? That it applies to not just those earning lowest wages in this country, but also those on EBAs, it applies to penalty rates, and it could wind up costing employers a whole lot more?
 
ALBANESE: Enterprise bargaining agreements, of course, are separate from the minimum wage. There are linkages--
 
JOURNALIST: Would you increase--
 
ALBANESE: There are linkages. We do not have centralised wage fixation in this country, what we have is a series of wage cases, including the minimum wage case, which is underway at the moment.
 
JOURNALIST: You say that you don't want people going backwards, would you say that you want wages to be pinned to CPI?
 
ALBANESE: What I want, when I was asked would I welcome minimum wages keeping up with the cost of living, I answered yes. Because I would. Because that is what we've been arguing on. We have ads on the TV at the moment talking about this. We've had them throughout the campaign. And you know what I find astonishing? I find it astonishing that a Prime Minister who is presiding over a circumstance whereby punters who go up to the local shops here are paying extra for their meat and veggies, they're paying extra for their petrol, they're paying extra for their childcare, they're paying extra for all the costs of living, all the costs of living. But those people on the minimum wage, what we're talking about here, who are we talking about? We're talking about cleaners, we're talking about retail workers, we're talking about people really struggling to get by, it's not enough. It is not enough to say, it is not enough to say thank you for what you did getting us through the pandemic, and then say we want to cut, we want to cut your real wage. That is what, that is what Scott Morrison is saying.
 
JOURNALIST: You said earlier today that it was nonsense that a wage hike to the minimum wage, to 5.1 per cent would be inflationary or drive up interest rates. How can you make that promise given interest rates are set by the RBA? And can you guarantee that homeowners across Australia will not be paying more on their mortgages?
 
ALBANESE: The Reserve Bank have been saying for a long period of time that one of the handbrakes on our economy has been wages. The Reserve Bank Governor has been talking about this for just about every major speech that he has been giving for a long period of time. And my comments are perfectly consistent with that.
 
JOURNALIST: In the last election Labor made a virtue of the fact that you announced your final costings earlier in the campaign, didn't keep it to the last minute. This time you appear to be doing the opposite. Isn't that treating voters like mugs, no detail until the very end of the campaign when a lot of people probably don't have time to think it through.
 
ALBANESE: We will announce all of our costings in the usual way, like oppositions always have.
 
JOURNALIST: Mr Albanese, last time you criticised the government for leaving it too late.
 
ALBANESE: Did I?
 
JOURNALIST: Labor did. You won’t answer the question?
 
ALBANESE: Well, I've answered the question. We'll release our costings in the usual way, as oppositions have.
 
JOURNALIST: On the detail of the Fair Work Commission process, you still have time to put in a submission. You said yesterday Labor would be doing that.
 
ALBANESE: Well, I think Fair Work Commission are probably clear about what our view is on those issues.
 
JOURNALIST: That wasn't the question. I just want to ask--
 
ALBANESE: So you want a second question?
 
JOURNALIST: Sorry. On the detail, will you put forward explicitly 5.1 in Labor's proposal?
 
ALBANESE: Well, if I was doing that, then that would be an announcement. But I think it's very clear--
 
JOURNALIST: So it's TBC?
 
ALBANESE: No, it's very clear what our view is, and I think the Fair Work Commission have probably heard that.
 
JOURNALIST: You said yesterday 5.1 per cent absolutely, that was your words.
 
ALBANESE: Yes and I stand by that.
 
JOURNALIST: Mr Albanese, will 5.1 be in your Fair Work Commission submission?
 
ALBANESE: I've answered the question--
 
JOURNALIST: Yes or no?
 
ALBANESE: I've answered the question--
 
JOURNALIST: Yes or no?
 
ALBANESE: It's not a game. I've answered the question.
 
JOURNALIST: Okay, just on the debate, if I can?
 
ALBANESE: Thanks.
 
JOURNALIST: Are you looking forward to it? What can we expect? Do we need a whip and a chair?
 
ALBANESE: I am looking forward to it. The last debate was pretty rigorous, it's fair to say. And it should, of course, there should be some rigour, because we're talking about important issues. It's an opportunity for me tonight to further outline our plan for a better future. The big issue in this election campaign is cost of living, and whether people are left behind, or whether people are held back, but it's about other things as well. It's about a plan for the future. On Sunday night, the Prime Minister put forward no plan for the present, let alone one for the future. We have plans like child care reform, that will boost the economy, that will boost productivity. And I want to talk about that tonight, I want to talk about a future made here in Australia. I want to talk about more secure work, I want to talk about addressing the cost of living challenges. I want to talk about the opportunity that's there for acting on climate change. We need more than just three more years of the same. That is what we need.
 
JOURNALIST: Just on the whole wages conversation that we're having right now, yesterday, the question to you was would you support wage hike of at least 5.1 per cent? Which you said absolutely. So were saying absolutely to the minimum wage--
 
ALBANESE: Well, it wasn't. That wasn't what the question said--
 
JOURNALIST: That was the question.
 
ALBANESE: No, the question was, it went, you don't want people to go backwards, does that mean you would support a wage hike of 5.1 per cent just to keep up with inflation? My answer was absolutely. And I stand by it.
 
JOURNALIST: Just on the question Amanda asked before. Is it wrong to link minimum wage rises to CPI? And there was a question that you were asked before by one of the women chatting about parenthood. Why won't Labor take adding superannuation to paid parental leave to this election?
 
ALBANESE: Because I've said, I would like to do that. It's something that would be a positive move. But one of the things we're doing at this election is under-promising, so that we over-deliver. We are in a position whereby we have a trillion dollars of debt. So we're not promising to do everything that we would like to do in our first term. And so I've made it clear. Would that be a good thing? Yes. Are we in a position to promise things that might be difficult to deliver? No, we have been very clear, and very upfront. One of the things I've done during this campaign, is that I speak about polling day, which we now know is May 21, but I also speak about the next election in three years’ time. And I want to be in a position whereby I say, we said we'd deliver cheaper childcare, and it's happening. We said we'd address cost of living, and we're doing that. We said we'd make more things here, and it's happening. We said we'd be addressing climate change, and it's happening. We're seeing that private sector investment in renewables—
 
JOURNALIST: On the CPI question—
 
ALBANESE: You only get one, sorry.
 
JOURNALIST: What do you think the rate of inflation will be in a year’s time under Labor?
 
ALBANESE: That's a question for economists, the idea that--
 
JOURNALIST: That's a question for a prime minister.
 
ALBANESE: No, no. The idea that anyone could predict what the rate of inflation was a year ago, now, is of course, a triumph of hope over experience.
 
JOURNALIST: Just further on Rachel's question. Are you saying, your response to your answer yesterday, you're saying by that logic, wage increases should be tied to inflation? That's what you seem to be saying.
 
ALBANESE: No, no, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that people on the minimum wage right now, right now. I gave a speech last Thursday, I know some of you were at the lunch. If you go back and have a look at the speech, what it spoke about was productivity as being the key. What it spoke about was bringing unions and business together for common interest, to work together on that common interest to grow productivity. The way that you can have wages increase and profits increase whilst not putting inflationary pressure there, is productivity growth, and that was the centre of my speech to the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry last Thursday. That's my position. But when I'm asked when people at the moment, when there's no childcare relief, when there's nothing happening on the social wage, when there's nothing happening at all to alleviate people's concerns, at a time when if the Fair Work Commission, which makes these decisions independently of government, makes that decision that people shouldn't get a real wage cut, would I welcome it? Absolutely.
 
JOURNALIST: But Mr Albanese on that logic, you're suggesting that people right now are suffering, they're not seeing their wages increase, if there was an increase of 5.1 per cent you would welcome that. By that logic if inflation goes up to 6 per cent next year would it be the same situation?
 
ALBANESE: No, but it's not by that logic--
 
JOURNALIST: Isn't that the same situation?
 
ALBANESE: No, we have a circuit, I've just gone through it. I don't think you were there last Thursday, but I encourage you to go read the speech about how—
 
JOURNALIST: I watched it in the office, it was a great speech.
 
ALBANESE: Thank you very much. Thank you for that endorsement. I'm glad you watched. But what it spoke about was how you get wage growth and profit growth without putting inflationary pressure on. And we did that – this isn't in the absence of debates and discussions I've had with the business community, with the union movement. I've said we'll convene a full employment summit, a full employment summit, and a part of that agenda will be about how we improve economic growth. How about we improve it in a way that deals with inflationary pressures, which is there, and we get win-wins. It's been possible in the past, the problem for this Government is that they don't have plans. All they have is arguments and criticisms. At the moment, at the moment we have a circumstance whereby this debate specifically is about whether people who are on far less than anyone in this press conference, far less. These are people who are earning $20.33 an hour, whether they should get $1 more. I regard this, I'm the Labor leader, but I'm amazed that this is not a bipartisan issue. Because this is a Government that have been prepared to go back, did a Budget just a short while ago, whereby they made changes to petrol, they gave $250 handouts, they did all of this cost of living relief, saying there was a cost of living crisis. Well, there is a cost of living crisis. People are doing it tough and that is why there needs to be action. Last one.
 
JOURNALIST: On that point the Prime Minister says you're a loose unit, and your head flips open and stuff just falls out. What do you say to that?
 
ALBANESE: Well, this Prime Minister is loose with the truth. He's loose with the truth about his analysis of his opponents. But he's loose with the truth for those people who've worked closely with him as well. This is a guy that the Deputy Prime Minister said the more you get to know him, the less trustworthy and the more he bends the truth. The fact is that he thinks that, so does the former prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull. So do so many, so many people who have worked closely with him. I'll tell you the difference between me, and I'll conclude with this. The difference between me and Scott Morrison, is that those people who've worked with me the closest for the longest, are my closest friends and strongest supporters. This guy, this guy cuts people loose, is what he does, which is why we're here in the electorate of North Sydney, North Sydney during a federal election campaign, because people who have values, who have traditionally supported the Liberal Party, are walking away from the most divisive prime minister in modern history. This is a guy who never looks to bring people together, who never looks for unity, is always just looking for wedges and always looking for division. Australia can be better. I want to bring business and unions together. Large businesses and unions. I want to bring small business and their employees together. I want to work with all of the State premiers and Chief Ministers and bring them together. Australians have conflict fatigue. They've been through two really tough years. And we have a Prime Minister who's incapable of doing what's needed to take Australia forward. Thanks very much.

ENDS