SUBJECTS: Labor’s plan for a Better Future; housing affordability; Labor’s Help to Buy plan; youth policy; climate policy; DJ Albo.
 
DAVE MARCHESE, HOST: And Mr Albanese is with me now, Anthony Albanese, thanks for coming on Hack.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Thanks for having me on the program.
 
MARCHESE: Look, we're just a few days out from the election and a lot of the polls are putting you out in front. How are you feeling at this stage?
 
ALBANESE: Well, it's, it's always a mountain to climb for Labor to form government from opposition. We've only done it three times since the Second World War. And we know that the polls were wrong in 2019. So I'll be working until six o'clock on Saturday, to make sure that every Labor vote that we can get, we do get. I want to form a majority Labor government because I want to deliver a better future one where we act on climate change, we have cheaper childcare, we have more secure work, where we make more things in Australia and we strengthen Medicare.
 
MARCHESE: One of the big issues this election campaign has been housing affordability that's shaping up to be one of the deciding factors, I'd think, and Scott Morrison's unveiled his plan for first homebuyers. He says people who've saved a five per cent deposit will be able to access up to 40 per cent of their super. It's been criticised by some but then there are others, real estate agents, housing and building industries, they say it's a good thing. Isn't this going to help a lot of young people get their own homes?
 
ALBANESE: Well, Scott Morrison isn't satisfied at saying that he wants to cut real wages, including for those on minimum wage. He now wants to cut people’s super. What we know is that every economist has said that this will put further upward pressure on house prices. It will increase the cost of living pressures that are on people. This is just really another attack on people's super. What we need is a better plan for affordable housing. That's one that Labor has.
 
MARCHESE: But I guess the point is that it is going to help a lot of people get access to the housing market. And like Labor's got its own policy, but it's only open to 10,000 first homebuyers every year that's nowhere near enough to what's needed to address this housing crisis.
 
ALBANESE: Well, this government's just out of touch with how much superannuation young people have in their accounts. And now they want to drive down real wages, which of course drives down the amount that's in their superannuation accounts. Labor has a comprehensive plan. A plan for additional spending in public housing. A plan for additional affordable housing for essential workers. A plan for more emergency accommodation, as well as our Help to Buy scheme that's aimed at low and middle income earners, allowing them to get a foot on the ladder of homeownership. It's worked very effectively in Western Australia for 30 years. And that's why we're basing our policy on where it has worked, a practical plan. The government's plan, what it will do is further undermine the superannuation industry, meaning that people retire with, with less income...
 
MARCHESE: But I guess the point is that it's open to more people, so it's going to allow more young people to have a go at trying to get a home.
 
ALBANESE: Except that young people will have to have a sizable amount in their superannuation, they have to still have money for a deposit. And there's already a scheme in place that allows people if they have five per cent to have the security of government to be able to back up a home loan so that they can get access to housing. This is really not thought through and doesn't help them to buy a home.
 
MARCHESE: Alright, we're going to move on Anthony Albanese. Hack has been getting out across the country this election campaign. We've been to WA, we've been to outback Queensland, regional Victoria, all over the place. And no matter where we go, the message from young people is exactly the same. They're rapidly losing faith in politicians. They're anxious about their futures. They're not seeing major differences between the parties. What are you going to do to rebuild trust with young Australians?
 
ALBANESE: What I'll do is deliver on the commitments that we're putting forward. Firstly, we'll engage with young people directly. We will create an office of Youth Affairs in the Federal Government. We will create direct consultation with young people and their representatives on that board that will feed into a Youth Minister. This government doesn't even have a Youth Minister ...
 
MARCHESE: What about some of the bigger issues, sorry, what about some of the bigger issues that are really critically important to young people? Because I guess there's frustration that they're not being talked about as much this election campaign. The environment, for instance. Still a huge issue for young people in Australia. Labor's 2030 target 43 per cent, it's lower than what Labor took to the last election. What are we going to do here? Why isn't Labor being more ambitious when it comes to the environment and these issues that impact and are important to young people?
 
ALBANESE: Well, we are being more ambitious. Three lost years is what we have had, three lost years. And our plan will be in just eight years time. The renewable energy sector as a portion of the national energy market will be at 82 per cent. The highest target that any government has ever had previously is just 20 percent. And while we're taking action on climate change to drive down emissions, we will be growing jobs, 604,000 new jobs, new industries five out of every six of them in regional Australia ...
 
MARCHESE: What if experts say we need to be upping that emissions reduction target? Can you commit to doing that if you need to?
 
ALBANESE: Well, what we haven't done is come up with a target and then work out how to get there. And what we've come up with is good policy. And what that ends up with is a target of 43 per cent by 2030. With a plan for cheaper electric vehicles. A plan for community batteries. A plan to grab renewable energy. A plan to grow new industries. And it is a plan that has received the support of the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Industry Group, National Farmers Federation as well as the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
 
MARCHESE: Alright, Anthony Albanese, one more question. You fancy yourself as a DJ. Triple J, we love music. If you're elected Prime Minister, can you commit to a DJ set on the national youth public broadcaster?
 
ALBANESE: I'd be more than happy to fill an entire Hack edition with a DJ set.
 
MARCHESE: I don't know whether we need an entire Hack edition to be honest.
 
ALBANESE: That's the deal. Give me half an hour.
 
MARCHESE: Look I can't promise anything at this stage. Labor leader Anthony Albanese, thanks for coming on Hack.
 
ALBANESE: Thanks very much.
 
ENDS