SUBJECTS: Labor’s Plan for Cheaper Child Care; Italian community concerns about Liberal Party advertising; Real wages; Costings; Borders; Uluru Statement from the Heart; Labor’s Powering Australian plan; National Anti-Corruption Commission; Quad leaders’ meeting; Climate policy; New Zealand relationship; Gender pay gap.
 
JEROME LAXALE, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR BENNELONG: Hi, everyone. I'm Jerome Laxale, I'm Labor's candidate for Bennelong. I'd like to start by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land, the Wallumedegal people of the Eora Nation, and welcome you all back to Bennelong, fourth time, really exciting. We're here at Goodstart Learning, as a Labor candidate, I'm so happy and proud about Labor's childcare policy. I've got three kids myself, and 10,000 families in Bennelong will be better off by Labor increasing the subsidies. So it's exciting to have Albo and the team here today. His turn now. Thanks, mate.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Thanks very much, Jerome. Well, firstly, can I thank young Adam, for this wonderful painting that I've been presented here. Our early learning centres aren't just places of childminding, they are places of learning. We know that 90 per cent of human brain development occurs in the first five years. And that's why it's so important. And investment in early childhood learning is an investment in a smarter Australia, it's an investment in families, but it also is about taking pressure off costs of living. And that's why the largest commitment that we will make at this election that's on budget is our childcare policy, our childcare policy that we announced in my first budget reply.

A childcare policy that's about economic reform, that's not about welfare. If you boost childcare investment, what you will see is removing the quite frankly, just extraordinary distortion that's there in the labour market, whereby it's usually the mother will have a disincentive to work a fourth or fifth day. What that does is it stops families earning more income. But it also distorts the way that women can career - women's careers, and those projections, because they're not contributing to the business in a full-time way. And that puts them at a disadvantage in the workplace. It's one of the things that explains the gender pay gap at 13.8 per cent. But it also explains why women retire with far less income in their superannuation than men. We need this reform. This reform is backed by business.

It's sensible policy, it's smart policy, and it will produce a return to government over a period of time. All of the economic analysis says that for every dollar invested in childcare, more than $2 is created in the economy. Can I say also, that as we near the home straight of this election campaign, that yesterday's finding that real wages had fallen by 2.7 per cent, the largest fall since we started looking at the Wage Price Index back in 1998 means that figures can be now put on how tough families are doing it around Australia. They know that the cost of everything is going up, but their wages aren't. And this 2.7 per cent decline means for an average worker, a decline in their living standards of around about $2,000 or more. That's a real impact on them. That's why the government's approach of saying that somehow the sky will fall in if people on the minimum wage of $20.33 get a $1 increase, is so out of touch with this government. But this government is out of touch. It's out of ideas and it's out of time. And in the next 48 hours, people have an opportunity not to change the personality of the Prime Minister who himself says he's a bulldozer and knocks things over, but to change the government. And I am asking for Australians, including the ones here in Bennelong, to change the government. Change the government, give us a crack at creating a better future. We have serious plans for cheaper childcare, cheaper electricity, cheaper medicines and strengthening Medicare. We have a plan to end the climate wars. We have a plan to make things, more things here in Australia. It is a plan for a better future. All the government has is more scare campaigns and more fear. Happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST: Last night you said that 'my opponents think it's still okay to make fun of someone's name in an advertisement, that's a matter for them', do you find that ad racist, is that what you're suggesting?

ALBANESE: No. I'm suggesting that a number of people, including people who mentioned it to me last night, people who have ethnic names of my age or perhaps a bit younger, certainly older, had people make fun of their names at school, that's what happened. And people have raised it with me, in the Italian community, that they're concerned about it.

JOURNALIST: You've campaigned a lot and you've been very critical of the government for lacking transparency, things like Friday night announcements. You said this is what you're going to bring back into politics. You've waited until the last days to release your costings and you're holding a press conference before these costings are released. And it's also late in the last days, and you've spent weeks either denying, initially denying, that deficits will be higher under Labor and then just not commenting on it. Can you now confirm that deficits will be higher under Labor, and doesn't this show that you're just another politician?

ALBANESE: Not at all. Our policy costings are being released at exactly the same time as the coalition, when in Opposition, released their costings. At the same time, in the same timeframe, they'll be released.

JOURNALIST: But you said you were going to be better than them. That's been your whole campaign, you said you'll be better.

ALBANESE: That’s another question. The truth is, that in terms of our costings, I've said repeatedly during this campaign that we will release all of our costings in the usual way, at the usual time, and that's what we're doing.

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] If you win on Saturday, how will you cope with the pressure of government?

ALBANESE: I hope that I have the opportunity to form a government on Saturday. At the end of the last government, at various times, on two occasions, I acted as Prime Minister. But at the end of the last government, I was Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Minister for Communications and the Digital Economy, and Leader of the Government in the House of Representatives in a minority Parliament. I did okay. We've been through a six week campaign, there hasn't been a single criticism raised by the government of anything I did in those positions.

JOURNALIST: On ABC radio this morning, you said that Australia's borders are closed. They're not closed, so what did you mean by that?

ALBANESE: The borders were closed. The borders were closed, and I was asked a question about skill shortages, and one of the things that businesses say is that they were impacted by the fact that the borders were closed, and indeed, people who were here on temporary visas were told to leave. That's had an impact on our labour market.

JOURNALIST: On childcare, you say it's all about productivity, but surely the returns really diminish when you start giving money and subsidies to people on half a million dollars a year. Why don't you just bite the bullet and put an income ceiling on this thing?

ALBANESE: We will increase the subsidy. It's true. There used to be another political party that spoke about class warfare. You know, I make no apologies for saying that we should give increased support. And indeed, one of the things that we will do because it's on the family income, and a woman who wants to work full time should not be judged just based upon the income of their partner. And that is one of the factors that we've considered here, we will mean that the subsidy will phase out at $520,000. But we're also going to look at, through the Productivity Commission, a review of how that's working in practice, and whether we would move to a universal subsidy. I'll give you the big tip. When Kerry Packer had a heart attack, he went to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Emergency Department, the same place that I went to, as someone who's relatively well off, but by comparison with Kerry Packer, not so much. And the same place that my mum went to as an invalid pensioner when she never unfortunately was able to return home. I literally was in the same room, I was very conscious of it when I got taken there. Public services which are universal make a difference to strengthen our society. They do. Our medical system is a public universal service. And I have said quite clearly that childcare is something that we should consider as a service that benefits the entire society.

JOURNALIST: I want to take you to something that you have spoken a lot about during this campaign, that's the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and enshrining a First Nations Voice to Parliament. This question has come to me from an Indigenous Australian. They said, only eight of the past 44 referendums have been successful. What makes you believe Labor can be successful in the next term with such an important referendum, and what happens if it fails?

ALBANESE: Thanks for the question Lanai and it is an important one. I want to maximise the opportunity that’s there for success in a referendum. I can indicate what one of the things I have raised with the people who you work for in terms of editors, etc, around the country, as well, is getting media organisations on board for the Uluru Statement, for constitutional recognition. I think Australians are ready for it. It's interesting that when I've spoken, including at the West Australian on Friday, that was a pretty broad group, 600 I believe were there at that breakfast. The interventions in terms of applause at that event were all around recognition of First Nations people. It is absolutely vital that we're successful. I want to work with First Nations people on the timetable for a referendum. I also want to reach out across the aisle. I made the offer in the first meeting I had with Scott Morrison, when he was Prime Minister, as the Labor leader, I made the offer to support whatever we could to get it done this term. It's now been a considerable time since the Uluru Statement was given. That's a generous statement. It's not a third chamber of Parliament, as Malcolm Turnbull and others said it was. It's simply good manners in my view, that if we have a circumstance whereby something I do will impact you as a human being, that you ask someone about that impact, and you listen to their response. That's what a Voice to Parliament is, nothing more, nothing less. And constitutionally enshrining it is important as a part of recognising that our history didn't begin in 1788. In my mind, that's a pretty easy proposition. I know there's overwhelming support amongst whole sections of the community. I know it's not uniform. I know it's not uniform, because of some of the misinformation that is out there. But I'm very confident that people in senior positions in the business community, in the media, across the Parliament, and I acknowledge the support of people like Senator Bragg and others have been very strong on this issue on the other side. Unfortunately, there are some people who aren't. Some of the Greens don't support moving to a Voice to Parliament as the first step. I do. I think the Coalition of Peaks would play a very important role, and indigenous leaders are saying to me, they're impatient for this to happen. They don't want the momentum to stop. I want the momentum to build. And I'm confident that we can work towards a good thing for Australia that will be a bringing together.

JOURNALIST: On climate, your 2030 target's 43 per cent, you told Lanai in Perth that you wanted your legacy to be acting on climate change. Would you hope to significantly overachieve on that 43 per cent target? Or would you sort of keep the handbrake on a little bit, just to keep it at 43 per cent?

ALBANESE: Well, what we didn't do is to set a target and then work out how to get there. What we've done, is to put in place mechanisms and policies including our EV policy, our community batteries, our plan using the safeguard mechanism and other measures that we have announced, and that's come out at 43 per cent is what the figures show. Our intention is to absolutely just stick to that plan.

JOURNALIST: If you won't tell us now whether Labor's deficits will be higher than the ones projected by the coalition, how can Australians trust you to be up front with them, when there are tough decisions? Do you not stand by your policies? Why can't you say now, mere hours before that document is coming out, if those deficits will be higher under Labor?

ALBANESE: I stand by our policies, and I stand by what we will be releasing today. What we'll be releasing today will be, I was asked in the past, was the figures that were published, I think, in an article by Greg, whether they were correct, and I said then that they weren't, and they aren't correct in terms of that number-

JOURNALIST: (inaudible)

ALBANESE: Hang on.

JOURNALIST: (inaudible)

ALBANESE: It's just easier. We did it at the National Press Club, we had a question, then an answer and it worked really well.

JOURNALIST: (inaudible)

ALBANESE: Well, because three of you are asking questions at once.

JOURNALIST: That's not an answer.

ALBANESE: Three of you are asking at once. Can I say that if you look at our figures, if you want the big tip, here's the big tip. If you look at our commitments, for economy boosting reforms in childcare, in skills, and in our Powering Australia plan, that adds up to the difference, which will be released later today. So it is less than the figure that was published, as I indicated, that's the difference. We make no apologies for the fact that we are investing in things that will produce a return. We're investing in skilling up Australians, we're investing in childcare for our youngest Australians, and we're investing in our Powering Australia plan. All of those measures will produce a return to government.

JOURNALIST: New South Wales looks set to pass voluntary assisted dying. In the last few days, we've been in the Northern Territory and in the ACT, two jurisdictions that don't have the right to make that decision for themselves. Would you commit within the first 100 days to introducing legislation that would change that, and what do you say to your New South Wales colleagues who are mulling this decision?

ALBANESE: That it's a matter for them. It's a matter for their conscience, and voluntary euthanasia, in these matters, I'm a big supporter of conscience votes, I think that there should be more not less conscience votes.

JOURNALIST: But will there be a conscience vote within the first 100 days on this?

ALBANESE: No, I'll set the priorities, according to the priorities I put out during the campaign, not according to a press conference two days beforehand.

JOURNALIST: But you said a federal ICAC would happen by the end of the year, so you do set some timeframes?

ALBANESE: Yeah, the end of the year. What I haven't done is do the 100 day game. That happened in the lead up to the last campaign, a whole lot of things within 100 days. I've established what we would do as our priorities, I have said, but my view is well known about territories and about territories' right to determine their own legislation. I've spoken about that in Parliament. I've spoken about that in interviews with the Canberra Times. I've spoken about that in interviews with the Canberra Times on the record.

JOURNALIST: The unemployment figures will be coming out shortly, they're expected to have a three in front of it, in the minds of voters won’t this to be seen as a huge tick for the government?

ALBANESE: I reckon what a whole lot of voters are thinking about at the moment is yes, we always welcome of course, unemployment figures we want to be as low as possible. But they're thinking to themselves, how do I pay my bills? How do I pay my rent? How do I afford food and the essentials of life? And yesterday's figure of a 2.7 per cent real wage cut at a time when a government is saying if we dare to say that a Fair Work Commission decision to say that those on the minimum wage of $20.33 a week, get an extra dollar in their pay packet then the sky will fall in. And I reckon that this government has real issues in terms of the gap that is there between people's reality. The other thing I said about the slogan of the government is that their whole implication here is that life's easy now. Yeah, I don't know who sat in the Liberal Party headquarters and said ‘righto, life's easy right now and it won't be so if the government you know, if people make a different decision’. Life isn't easy for people right now. People in this electorate of Bennelong are doing it really tough. I've been here four occasions, I think, since I convinced Jerome to run for the seat. And people are really doing it tough. That's what I'm hearing. That's what I'm hearing when people come and engage with me. And I think that will be front and centre, is how do we have a better future? How do I reduce my childcare bills? How do I reduce my electricity bills? How do we have more secure work? How do we have a government that has a plan for the future? The problem for this government is it doesn't learn from the mistakes of the past, it struggles with the present, and it has no plan for the future.

JOURNALIST: Mr Albanese, Mr Albanese on the child care proposal, you've said a number of times today it will give a return to government. Would universal childcare similarly give a return to government? And where does that fit in your priorities? Perhaps considering something like an increase to the Newstart Allowance?

ALBANESE: That's what we'll examine through the Productivity Commission…

JOURNALIST: Broadly speaking?

ALBANESE: So we have, well, that's why you have an inquiry if we knew the answer, we wouldn't have the inquiry. So that, that's our plan. But our plan will assist 96 per cent of families right now.

JOURNALIST: Just to return to what Greg and I think Clare was asking you in regards to your costings and your, your position previously, the government previously has done what you've done in 2010. I think the difference is we've now got six million people who prepolled because people are encouraged, not turned away from prepolls. So those six people, six million people in many regards have been denied in knowing more about your costings. Your strategy, or the Labor Party strategy today was for us to have this press conference with you and not know the costings, and then go and get them from the Shadow Treasurer. This is what we've been told. So I'm just telling you that we have this press conference with you. Then we go to Canberra, and we get given the press conference from Jim Chalmers. And we didn't get the opportunity to ask you questions. There's a frustration and that has now been changed. We've been told we will not stay in Canberra. And we will follow, we'll go with you. You know, because you've been in Parliament for 26 years. Our job is to follow you around the country during the campaign so we can ask you questions. Is it not you distancing yourself from your own costings by trying to take the traveling media pack away from you for the night and the afternoon. Does…

ALBANESE: Please, keep going.

JOURNALIST: That's, that’s the question in taking the media pack away from you, is it not you distancing yourself from your own policy? So we get a chance to ask you those questions legitimately?

ALBANESE: I would miss you dearly. And I'll miss you dearly. When this campaign is over. I'm happy for you to come with me, wherever, wherever you want…

JOURNALIST: But that’s been changed, let’s be fair dinkum, the policy has been changed?

ALBANESE: When you’re finished…

JOURNALIST: I just want you to be honest with us, too.

ALBANESE: When you're finished, I'll answer the question. I am happy for the traveling party to go wherever you want to go. The offer was made if you want to go to the costings, because people felt like you would want to go to the costings announcement with Jim and Katy, if you want to go to where we're headed in Brisbane and see me handout how to vote with the Queensland Premier and our candidates, that's fine, too. Absolutely fine. I've spent every time with you over a long period of what is a six week campaign except for the one week after I came here last time with this bloke and I had, I had COVID unbeknownst to me, at the time. Look in terms of accountability. I'll make a couple of points. One is I spoke at the National Press Club yesterday. The Prime Minister is the first Prime Minister for five decades to duck that accountability. I have been completely accountable to you. And I have, I don't think there's anyone here. I'll tell you what happened a couple of days ago, I did a Western Australian breakfast. I answered questions from Lanai on stage, I then did a one on one interview with Jonathan Kearsley from Nine because he asked, that's why I did it. Like I've done other interviews with The Australian, the Telegraph, the ABC, the Herald, Sky, Seven, News, and Channel 10. One on one. I've done Insiders, I've done Q&A. I've done 7.30 once, and I'll be doing it again, tomorrow night because I gave a commitment for two events. I did three debates that were determined, essentially a decision by the Prime Minister, because I would have done a debate on the national broadcaster. And I was happy to do that. In addition, in addition, I was happy to do that, as well. I'll put what I've done in accountability, up against this Prime Minister, every single day of what I've done during this campaign, during this campaign. During this campaign, I have been completely accountable. I've just, I've just if you actually get out a calculator, I've just told you what the costings are.

JOURNALIST: Just say the figure.

ALBANESE: No, because, because the - and here's the hypocrisy, quite frankly..

JOURNALIST: Do you know the figure, Mr Albanese?

ALBANESE: Quite frankly, of the interview that you gave on Sky earlier on, whereby, whereby, you know, I'm supposed to do, I'm supposed to do the costings but Scott Morrison isn't, the Treasurer and the finance people. The Treasurer and the Finance Minister do the costings…

JOURNALIST: You’re saying you’re better than him.

ALBANESE: The Treasurer and the Finance Minister. And I have been more accountable, more accountable than this government throughout this campaign, more accountable.

JOURNALIST: Do you know the figure, Mr. Albanese?

ALBANESE: Yes.

JOURNALIST: With the greatest of respect Mr. Albanese, Mr. Morrison did do a press conference after the costings were released?

ALBANESE: I'll be doing press conferences during…

JOURNALIST: Will you do that in the same way this afternoon?

ALBANESE:  We'll be on. We are traveling. I'm traveling around five states, five states.

JOURNALIST: Mr Albanese, a question about the Quad you've been speaking about. You would get sworn in quite quickly. If you are successful on Saturday along with your foreign minister Penny Wong, would you also have to swear in Richard Marles to be acting Prime Minister in your absence in Japan? And how long would that sort of arrangement be in place? A couple of ministers holding responsibility. Are we looking at a Whitlam-esque scenario here of weeks?

ALBANESE: No, we're not looking at weeks at all. We're looking at I would envisage that in an interview with The Australian, I've indicated that the timetable that's been published today we'd be looking at a Caucus meeting and processes being established the week after next. Mr. Marles, if we're, if we are successful, would also be sworn in. I met with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet yesterday. There are various briefings taking place as well. Okay, over over days, some of those you know about there obviously, other briefings have been held as, as are appropriate, as I'm sure government ministers are as well given we are in caretaker period.

JOURNALIST: Mr Albanese, would you agree that people in well to do inner-city electorates are perhaps considering voting for the independents because they are insulated from the economic costs or economic hardships that the rest of the country is feeling? And conversely, do you think that voters in, in suburban seats who are feeling those economic hardships do you think that they feel this strongly on climate, will they by your, by your policies, that you'll be stronger on climate, it doesn't actually matter to them?

ALBANESE: If you go to a local municipality like Blacktown, you'll see they have more, a greater percentage of solar panels on their roof than my former council of Marrickville Council does. Why do they do that? Because it reduces their power bills. People understand that. The second thing that's happened is that people in regional Australia are increasingly more and more aware of the impact on climate change. You don't have to go to Brisbane or the areas that have been impacted by the floods in the Northern Rivers. You don't have to talk about whether climate change is real in Cobargo. You can go there and if you actually understand how real it is, you can shake people's hand and have good conversations with them. That's what you can do. It is real. The reason why people are walking away from the Liberal Party is that the Liberal Party has walked away from them. The Liberal Party used to be a party that embraced small ‘l’ liberal values and the rights of individuals and respect for people. It didn't engage in the sort of wedges that we've seen attempted. It was a government, whatever criticisms, I said this at the Press Club yesterday, whatever criticisms that I had of the Howard government, and they were substantial, there wasn't a stench around it. There was far greater ministerial accountability than we see from the current government. And people feel as though the Liberal Party has left them. So people if you look at the crossbenchers, they're full of people who used to be members of either the Liberal or the National parties. And whether it's Bob Katter or Rebekah Sharkie, or others in the past, so the Liberal Party, I think, has as well, a big divide within it. The Liberal Party spends a lot of time fighting each other. And that's a handbrake to climate change. Climate change is not a controversial issue in most countries. The Boris Johnson government is taking serious action. You know who one of the first world leaders was to bell the cat on climate change? Margaret Thatcher, Margaret Thatcher was out there saying that climate change was real, and that we needed to act. Why is it that the Business Council of Australia, the National Farmers Federation, the Australian Industry Group, and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have all been supportive of our climate policies? Why? Because we're so far ahead of the government. But so is business, they want business certainty, it's holding back their investment, it's holding back their profits. We need a government for this century. So much of Scott Morrison's government is just stuck in last century.

JOURNALIST: [inaudible] from New Zealand…

ALBANESE: Welcome.

JOURNALIST: How would you describe Australia's relationship with New Zealand at the moment and will you stop deporting 501s if elected?

ALBANESE: Well, section 501 applies for breaches of people who are on visas. And if people commit serious offences, then action should be taken in Australia's national interests.

JOURNALIST: So the law should be changed?

ALBANESE: Action should be taken in Australia's national interest. But can I say that, this, that Jacinda Ardern is someone who I've met with here in Australia and also in Wellington and, and in Auckland. I think she is an outstanding Prime Minister. And I'm sure that we would have a very warm and cordial relationship. Last one.

JOURNALIST: Mr Albanese, you’ve been mentioning about how you want to address the gap in wages compared to inflation, and the latest data that came out yesterday, but when you, if you get in office, what will you do to address the gap in wages between men and women? What tangible steps would you take to address that?

ALBANESE: We will have, we will have reform in terms of the Fair Work Commission that looks at those issues, including making gender pay equity, an objective of the Fair Work Act, we'll also look towards making cases, there's been 21 cases taken on the basis of gender pay equity to the Fair Work Commission, over a number of years. The only one that's been successful was in 2012 with the social and community services award, that was of course under the Gillard government. And that made an enormous difference that led to an increase in pay that led to more secure work that led to community service workers being more secure. In areas including aged care is a big one. We would make a submission to the Fair Work Commission pointing the Commission towards the recommendations to the aged care Royal Commission. What they have said is that unless we deal with aged care pay, then people will continue to leave the industry. A whole lot of aged care workers earn around about $22 an hour. It's a really tough job. It's a tough job physically. But it's also an even tougher job I think mentally. Aged care workers, for their residents, aren't just people who, who work, a bit like the early learning workers here. These little kids here, hello.
BOY: Hi.

ALBANESE: Hello. Are you a Parramatta supporter?

BOY: Yes I am.

ALBANESE: Good on you, I'm a Rabbitoh myself. Is that okay?

BOY: Yes it’s OK.

ALBANESE: Thank you. Very good. Very good. Yeah, you're having a good season. The, the people who work in, in early learning, largely a feminised workforce are also in my view, undervalued. People who work in aged care, are undervalued and underpaid. There's a link, there's a structural link. When you look at those industries, which are feminised, which have lower wages, then I think that is something that has to be addressed, we will address it. And I thank you very much.
 
ENDS