Radio interview - Triple M Perth

MICHELLE, HOST: Welcome.

XAV, HOST: Welcome, welcome.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: What a great intro.

XAV: Yeah, I did that this morning at 2am for you.

MICHELLE: A bit of razzle dazzle. He says that all the time.

XAV: Every guest gets that same line, sorry.

PRIME MINISTER: They all get a song, do they?

XAV: Yeah, it's a blend of everything we throw together.

MICHELLE: Little montage.Now, first of all, I know I always think this when a dignitary comes, what do we call you? Prime Minister?

PRIME MINISTER: Call me whatever you like.

MICHELLE: Albo?

PRIME MINISTER: Albo, Anthony, Prime Minister. I'll answer to anything. You've got the mic that gives you power.

MICHELLE: Oh, I'm drunk with it. Exactly. How have you been? How's things so far hitting the ground in WA?

PRIME MINISTER: They have been fantastic. I was in Karratha on Sunday and having a look at all the iron ore operations up there. I'm always stunned by just the scale of it. We were right up the top of the loader going into the ship, the hull of a ship, and you just see the scale of the amount of iron ore that's going in. And we also were having a look at the train that goes for two and a half kilometres.

MICHELLE: That's wild, isn't it?

PRIME MINISTER: You can't see where it ends when you're standing, watching it approaching. It's an extraordinary operation there at Karratha that, of course, is so important to the national economy. So, done that and been to see a TAFE. I've brought the entire Cabinet, Federal Cabinet, to WA for the second time.

XAV: Okay.

PRIME MINISTER: The first one we had up in Port Headland and the second one here in Perth. So, that fulfils a commitment that I gave prior to the election, when I launched the election campaign, of course, here in Perth.

XAV: Now, although Twiggy's 20th birthday party.

PRIME MINISTER: Oh, I missed it.

XAV: You were on the invitee list. Oh, no. You didn't get there?

PRIME MINISTER: No, it's kind of a bit busy.

XAV: How do the invites get to you? So, if I was to invite you to my 40th in three years, where am I sending an invite like that to the Prime Minister?

PRIME MINISTER: To the Parliament House, through the system.

XAV: Yep.

PRIME MINISTER: But it sounds like a pretty cool party. Jimmy Barnes!

MICHELLE: I know Jimmy Barnes because you're a bit of musing man, Barnsey was there.

PRIME MINISTER: I love Barnsey.

MICHELLE: Eskimo Joe was there, a WA product of course, Kiss sent a message because Twiggy quite likes Kiss. You're holding your own big shindig, who do you invite in?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I had my 60th this year.

MICHELLE: Nice.

XAV: Big one.

PRIME MINISTER: I didn't get Barnsey, let me tell you.

XAV: Twiggy's got a lot of money. He's got a lot.

PRIME MINISTER: I didn't get Barnsey. I missed out.

XAV: Now, we need to ask, a bit of shared interest with you, Albo, we both support the mighty Hawks. It's all done and dusted there on Mad Monday. Probably waking up a bit sore this morning. How'd you find the Hawks this year?

PRIME MINISTER: Look, I think the rebuilding phase, I think, is what you call this sort of period. But they had some great wins.

XAV: Yes, yes.

PRIME MINISTER: Knocked the Pies over.

XAV: Easy, they're light work.

PRIME MINISTER: That's always good.

MICHELLE: Absolutely.

XAV: No, absolutely. No, I thought it was a good year. Do you get much time to, you know, the Hawks or a bit of NRL or the Matildas, of course?

PRIME MINISTER: I got to quite a few of the Tillies' games. That was awesome. My NRL team, South Sydney, have a showdown on Friday night.

XAV: Yes.

PRIME MINISTER: With the Chooks.

XAV: Of course.

PRIME MINISTER: And so I am going to that game.

XAV: Okay.

MICHELLE: Very nice.

PRIME MINISTER: I haven't gone too many games this year, I've got to say.

XAV: Yeah.

PRIME MINISTER: Tends to be a bit busy with my current job. But I did get to the Tillies' games. That was a whole event.

XAV: That did special for the country, didn't it?

PRIME MINISTER: Just lifted the whole nation up and did something for women's sport that will never be the same again. The idea that you would have the packed stadiums, 75,000 in Sydney and 50,000 in Brisbane and Melbourne, packing out a stadium for women's team sport. It's only a few years ago that the Matildas played Brazil in Brisbane. The first game, they got 2,500 people there, so the second game, they didn't open the gate because it wasn't worth it.

XAV: For the security.

PRIME MINISTER: Wasn't worth doing it. That will never, ever happen again. And they were an inspiration.

XAV: We have got the main man of the country, the top dog. Some call him Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister of the country. He's going to stick around more with Albo right after this.

XAV: From one Aussie legend to another, we got a top dog in the building. Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister of Australia, Michelle.

MICHELLE: Can I say too, talking about being a busy man, right? And there's a couple of things that have happened to you lately where I've been like, 'Really?' And those little gotcha questions like 'How much is petrol?' And oh, 'You bought a pork roll, how can you afford it?' I've got to roll my eyes. I think I would be more concerned if I saw you at a bowser filling your car because I think you've got probably bigger things to do. And also, too, do you just roll your eyes sometimes? I mean, you bought a pork roll. I don't want to see you with a bit of Wonder White under almonds and sandwich meat, you know?

PRIME MINISTER: It was an $8 pork roll, in Marrickville. Marrickville Pork Roll, best in Australia! I love it.

XAV: Out of ten?

PRIME MINISTER: Ten out of ten. They are awesome. $2 extra, you get pork crackling.

XAV: Do you always add the pork crackling?

PRIME MINISTER: You've got to add the pork crackling.

XAV: I would too.

PRIME MINISTER: So, it's fantastic. I'm just stunned that somehow this was -

MICHELLE: Turned into a story.

PRIME MINISTER: How dare someone have lunch and buy a roll with pork on it?

XAV: I was outraged.

PRIME MINISTER: It just says a lot, I think, about some of social media, 'Don't look at the comments'. It amazes me that people will go to the trouble of logging on or setting up a fake account and making comments that are just extraordinary just in order to troll people. I think it's tragic. People would never say that to your face. No one would come up to you and say, 'How dare you?'

XAV: 'Add the crack?'

PRIME MINISTER:'Have a pork roll and you added $2 for the crackling. How dare you do that in, you know, a few hundred meters from your office in Marrickville? When you're doing local stuff, as a local MP'.

XAV: No, that didn't outrage me. Now, we do need to talk something a little bit serious. There's a big vote coming up. Can I take you out of the politics and we're sitting at the Scarborough Sportsmen's Club, that's where I am a lot of the time, and we're having a cold beer together.

PRIME MINISTER: Sounds pretty good.

XAV: It's really nice. We're having a cold beer together. And I ask you for a basic, simplified reason why I would vote Yes? Because you're obviously supporting the Yes vote, what would be the basics? Because there's a lot of information out there and a lot of research needs to be done by individuals. But if we were just sitting like two mates having a beer, what would you say?

PRIME MINISTER: I'd say one, we need to recognise Indigenous people in our Constitution. So, tick. Secondly, when you listen to people about matters that affect them, you get better results. That's all that this is about. An advisory group, a Voice, so that can get better results.

XAV: Quick answer. I only got a sip.

PRIME MINISTER: It's a really simple -

XAV: No, but that's what I wanted, a simple answer.

PRIME MINISTER: It's a simple proposition. And guess what? It won't make any difference, directly to your life, but it just might make a positive difference to the three per cent of Australians who are Indigenous Australians. So, I think it is all upside, no downside. And as you were drinking your beer as well, I'd ask you to think about this, think about marriage equality, where people said, 'Oh, it'll ruin straight marriages'. Guess what? It didn't.

MICHELLE: It did nothing.

PRIME MINISTER: Think about the Apology to Stolen Generations, 'Oh, it'll result in reparations and there'll be all this terrible impact'. It didn't. This is all upside, no downside. Vote Yes.

XAV: Finished.

MICHELLE: Done.And before we let you go, are you going to get a little bit of private time and you're going to get a little bit of personal time where you can get out and do a little something of what you want to do while you're here?

PRIME MINISTER: Here? I wish.

MICHELLE: No?

PRIME MINISTER: Three days here of packed itinerary. Going to a TAFE, going to Karratha, having a full Cabinet meeting.

MICHELLE: Quokka selfie?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I would like to get across the Rottnest.

MICHELLE: That would be nice.

PRIME MINISTER: I spent Christmas Day on Rottnest Island in 1984.

MICHELLE: Wow.

XAV: Not much has changed, to be honest with you.

PRIME MINISTER: A long time ago and it was just fabulous.

MICHELLE: The Quokkas are tamer now. They'll come and sit with you and have a drink, just like Xav did at Sporty's.

XAV: I'll be going for a week with my wife and family. I mean, I'm happy to sub out for a day at least, if you like? Rottnest every year just gets me a little bit. Anyway, Albo, mate, thanks very much.

MICHELLE: Yes.

XAV: We love having you in Perth. And enjoy your trip.

PRIME MINISTER: Fantastic. Have a good day.

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