TRANSCRIPT – DOORSTOP INTERVIEW – CANBERRA – TUESDAY, 11 FEBRUARY 2020

SUBJECTS: Chaos within the Coalition.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Yesterday we saw the Coalition chaos in full view on the floor of the House of Representatives. What is very clear is that if you can’t govern yourself, you can’t govern the country. They don’t know what they are doing. They are fighting within each other. And the real problem is they therefore cannot deliver a plan for the country, a plan for the economy, a plan for climate change, a plan for energy. Because they are just focused on themselves. Since May, we have seen the Government on a victory lap. But all they have is a marketing plan. And for Scott Morrison, the chief marketeer in the Coalition, to stand up after yesterday’s debacle and somehow claim it was positive for the Coalition, said it all. They are prepared to try and spin their way out of anything.

JOURNALIST: Does Labor risk alienating voters in regional areas (inaudible)?

ALBANESE: Well, the truth is that we have a market-based economy. And what we see is that they’re not just climate sceptics, they are market sceptics. And what we see with this $4 million subsidy is taxpayers right throughout Australia, including in regional Australia, paying for something, $4 million is a lot of money for a feasibility study. I’ve been the Infrastructure Minister. That is an extraordinary amount of money. That is $4 million of hush money for the climate change deniers in the Coalition. Thanks.

JOURNALIST: You talk about the Coalition of chaos. Labor has seen this movie before within itself, I think that was the term that Tony Abbott used.

ALBANESE: Well, we have seen this movie of what happens when a Party is divided. When a Government’s divided. We know how it ends. It ends badly for the Government. And this Government are incapable of putting themselves together. This is a Government that has had three Prime Ministers. That’s had three Deputy Prime Ministers. Has had countless number of Defence Ministers, countless number of ministers in so many portfolios. I give Scott Morrison credit when he was taking President Widodo around his frontbench, he at least remembered all of their names which is a real challenge. It’s a challenge for us to look across the other side and work out who’s on the frontbench. Thanks.

ENDS