MARY DOYLE, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR ASTON: Good morning everyone. I just wanted to say thank you to the Prime Minister for coming all the way out here to Aston, and particularly to Boronia and for launching my campaign. It's been wonderful. And we're working very, very hard over the next few weeks, and always actually, for the people of Aston. So over to the Prime Minister, thank you Anthony.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Mary and it is fantastic to be here, back here in Aston to launch Mary Doyle's campaign. Mary is trying to climb a mountain that has not been climbed for 100 years. But she's having a crack. She's committed to making a difference as part of a Labor Government. Part of making a difference on childcare, that will help 5,700 families here in Aston from July 1. The people of Aston are already benefiting from the 180,000 fee-free TAFE places, from the cheaper medicines, they will benefit from the Energy Price Relief Plan that we put in place. These are all measures opposed by the Coalition. The Coalition just say no to everything. And just having one more voice in the House that just says no, will not assist the people of Aston. They have a big decision to make over coming weeks. But Mary is a suburban mum, who understands cost of living pressures, who understands the importance of Medicare as a cancer survivor, is someone who will be a strong advocate for this local community. I look forward to campaigning alongside Mary over the coming weeks in the lead up to April, and the by-election being held.
JOURNALIST: How confident are you that you can win this seat?
PRIME MINISTER: The odds are very much against us. That's the truth. History tells us that when something hasn't been done in 100 years, then the odds are very clear. This is a seat where in 2019, the incumbent got 54.7% of the primary vote. It was, I think, the sixth-safest figure in the whole of Australia, in the 151 seats. So we know that it's really tough. But Mary had a crack last year and achieved a good result. And this time round, she's having a crack again on behalf of the people of Aston. She's a fighter. She's the sort of person who the people in this electorate have the opportunity to make their champion in Canberra as part of a government.
JOURNALIST: The Premier wants $1.3 billion from Canberra for the Commonwealth Games. He says it's only fair seeing what you're doing for Brisbane and the Olympics and because Victoria has done so badly in the past under a previous government. Will you give him that $1.3 billion?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, every Premier wants things and Daniel Andrews, my friend, is no different. I'll continue to engage constructively with Victoria. The truth is Victoria was short-changed on infrastructure investment by the former government for a long period of time. That's why we're pairing with the Victorian Government on important projects, such as the Suburban Rail Loop that will make such a difference. When I was Infrastructure Minister, we put record funding into Victoria, record funding into the Monash, record funding into the roads and into the railway lines, that will make an enormous difference. And Daniel Andrews has been a great Premier for infrastructure in this State. I look forward to continuing to work with him constructively.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, your government has axed over $600 million in transport projects out here in Knox since coming to office. Why should voters out here trust your party to represent them when you're scrapping all these projects?
PRIME MINISTER: Well there was no proper funding for those projects. You don't actually fund a road by coming up with one small portion of the funding that's required, not having a business case and not actually having a plan. Like it's a mirage, like so much of the Coalition that spent 10 years shortchanging Victoria on infrastructure. We're working constructively with the Andrews Labor Government to make a difference. We'll continue to do so.
JOURNALIST: Mary, how do you feel about those projects being axed?
DOYLE: You know, there were fake announcements of fake money, fake press releases and I won't be about that kind of nonsense, frankly.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, if the Government is serious about budget repair, why not lower the threshold of the super changes to $1.9 million, which is what the Greens are currently asking for?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Greens will always find a reason to try to say that what Labor's proposing is something that they have a different position from. But at least they're not like the Noalition, saying no to everything. You know, in terms of super changes that we're proposing, the impact on people in Aston will be less than one-tenth of one per cent of superannuants in Aston will be impacted by this, and yet you have this absurd result from the Coalition. We have got the balance right, making a difference, it will come in after the next election in 2025. We have been left with a trillion dollars of debt from the Coalition and nothing to show for it. I mean, that's the thing about, to go to the previous question, if it was such a good idea, Alan Tudge was here the whole time, for ten years. Did he dig a hole? No. Was there a dollar actually built, was anyone employed, did anything happen? No. Nothing happened, except in the lead-up to an election, putting out a half-baked commitment that doesn't stack up. The people of Aston deserve better than that. And the Labor Government will deliver as we have on so many issues, and Mary Doyle will make a difference as a member of that Labor Government
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Tanya Plibersek is quoted in the media today, saying she would have won the Labor leadership had she actually ran in 2019. Is she telling the truth?
PRIME MINISTER: Tanya Plibersek is doing a great job as the Environment Minister. She's been a friend of mine for a very long period of time. I was elected unopposed after the 2019 election, and I won in 2022. And I'm very proud of the amazing team that I have. One of the differences between my team and the other team is Peter Dutton's there because they can't find anyone better. They reluctantly chose him, even though half his colleagues don't like him at all, and even though he was regarded, for example, as the worst Health Minister, that Australia has had, chosen by the Australian Medical Association. Australians deserve better than a bloke as well, who spent years just bagging Victoria, and bagging Victorians. And now he, reluctantly, we didn't see anything of him in Victoria during the last election campaign. And I wonder why. And I think his record of what he's had to say about Victorians is very clear. He's a divisive character, what we need is people who can unite the nation, bring people together in our common interest. That's what my Government's focused on.
JOURNALIST: A family in Perth has been told it will be deported because their child with Down Syndrome is considered a taxpayer burden. Is that fair?
PRIME MINISTER: I have not seen those reports. So we'll examine any case individually. But if you have that detail, I'm happy to have the Immigration Minister have a look at what the actual details are.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, a common type one diabetes drug, Fiasp, is being taken off the PBS next month, it will go from $7 a month to $200 a month. Thousands of people now don't know how they're going to pay for this drug. What's your message to them? Are you going to work better with the company?
PRIME MINISTER: Our Health Minister will look at that as we do. We've made medicines cheaper for people. The first decrease in 75 years of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. My mum used to say, 'the price of everything only ever goes up, nothing ever comes down.' Well, you would have all heard that saying a lot. We brought the price of medicines down from $42.50 down to $30, making a real difference to people's lives.
JOURNALIST: Are you disappointed Prince Charles has overlooked Australia as his first royal tour?
PRIME MINISTER: King Charles!
JOURNALIST: King Charles, my apologies.
PRIME MINISTER: I'm disappointed at your refusal to acknowledge the change.
JOURNALIST: I'm too old fashioned, I'm sorry.
PRIME MINISTER: I think there's a word for that but I won't use it. King Charles will be a welcomed visitor here in this country, whenever he decides to visit. It was a great honour for me to have an audience with King Charles. I've been invited to his coronation, on the first Saturday in May, I will attend along with the Governor-General, with other guests as well who have been invited by the Palace. I think that that will be an enormous occasion. Charles is our Head of State, and he will be welcomed here as would other members of the Royal Family at any time. And I know that when I met with King Charles, we had a discussion about a visit, and I of course conveyed that he would always be welcomed here.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Monique Ryan has declared she wants your job and wants to be PM one day. Amid what's been reported about her alleged treatment of staff in a court case, what are your thoughts on that?
PRIME MINISTER: My thoughts are there's a court case on.
JOURNALIST: And on Tuesday, the Reserve Bank again meets about interest rates, how concerned are you that they're going to continue increasing?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Reserve Bank are independent of government. Of course, cost of living pressures are having a real impact and of course I'm concerned that people are doing it tough.
JOURNALIST: Just on subs, what do you think about Peter Dutton's reasons are for declaring Australia should adopt the US-designed class over the British? And do you share this concern about production constraints in the UK?
PRIME MINISTER: I don't share the attitude to national security that him talking about those issues in the way that he did conveys.
JOURNALIST: Do you fear China will provide Russia with weapons?
PRIME MINISTER: We are focused on our support for Ukraine. We have called very clearly on every country to provide support for Ukraine, because it's about support for the rule of law. And I again repeat my call to Putin to withdraw. This war can stop today. Putin has it within his power to do it. It's hurting the people of Ukraine, but it's also hurting the Russian soldiers who are being sent into this war as well. It's damaging the global economy, and Vladimir Putin should stop this exercise now. The people of Ukraine have made it very clear that they'll continue to defend their national sovereignty and they have Australia's support in doing that.
JOURNALIST: Will you be back here campaigning again?
PRIME MINISTER: I sure will be.
DOYLE: Woohoo!
PRIME MINISTER: Mary Doyle's a great candidate, and she's been a friend of mine for a while, and I look forward to being here and campaigning. I like Victoria, and I like Victorians, unlike the Federal Opposition Leader. Thanks very much.
Transcript
Melbourne
Prime Minister