ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. And happy Australia Day, everyone. It is an incredible privilege and honour to be the Prime Minister of Australia. And last night at the Australian of the Year Awards, it was an inspirational time in the four categories of Volunteer of the Year, Senior Australian, Young Australian, and the Australian of the Year. The nominees from every state and territory are doing so much to make this greatest country on earth just that little bit greater. I do want to congratulate the winners, Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer, the Australians of the Year - showed in their acceptance speech why they were such an extraordinary choice. These are people who have made a difference already, saved lives and changed many more lives and made an impact which is worldwide, which is world recognised. And that will make a difference which flows throughout the world. In Richard's case, of course, it was very personal as well. I think that's a powerful message in this beautiful country of ours where we benefit and we love the beach culture, we love getting out in the outdoors sitting in the sun. The message about melanoma and the message about making sure that a sun tan, a tan, represents damaged cells and that we need to make sure that we do act sensibly. And it makes an enormous difference, I think. And I just spoke with Georgina and Richard again this morning. They're determined to use the platform, that being named Australian of the Year, to make a difference to really get that message out there to Australians. And that's a fantastic thing. To Yalmay Yunupingu, a remarkable woman, 40 years a teacher there in Yirrkala, someone who has taken her culture to make sure that young people through generations now learn to live in two worlds, respecting Yolŋu culture, but also also learning Western culture and making sure that becomes a strength that walking into worlds that the great Yunipingu used to speak about so famously, a former Australian of the Year, of course. The Young Australian of the Year, of course, Emma McKeon, is well known to Australians. We've all cheered for her. We've all celebrated her victories. And we've all admired her extraordinary talent in the pool. But we've also admired what she has to say outside the pool, as well. Last night, she showed us again she is an inspiration to young Australians, to do your best, to keep trying to strive to be the best that you can be. And she will be a great ambassador as well. And the Local Hero of the Year, of course, is David Elliot from Winton, who set up the Dinosaur Museum there and spoke about natural history and the importance of the fullness of the history of this great continent, but also spoke about the importance of regional and outback Australia. Making sure that it is elevated as well. So, I think in the awards that were given last night, I congratulate all of the winners. I congratulate all of the nominees as well. Any one of them would have been fine representatives.
Can I say just one further point about what is occurring with the cyclone in Far North Queensland. This represents a very real danger. We need to make sure that we have in place the mechanisms that we are working with the State Government of Steven Miles, but also working with the local council and local community as well. We've already played a role in some of the preparations that have occurred. We have the Australian Defence Force ready to offer whatever assistance is required. Senator Murray Watt, our Minister for Emergency Management, is keeping a very close eye. He's there at the headquarters there in Queensland this morning. And he's engaged during what could be a very difficult period indeed. The people of Far North Queensland have copped a lot in recent times. But they have shown once again, Australians at the most difficult of times show the best of the Australian character.
JOURNALIST: Are you considering Peter Dutton's call for an early election to put the stage three changes to a vote?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, for Peter Dutton, who said that he cared about the Constitution last year, the earliest date for an election, a normal election, is August of 2024.
JOURNALIST: So, is that a possibility?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the earliest election is August 2024. So, you work it out. The tax cuts will take place on July 1. Peter Dutton will always go for the politics. This is about people, not politics.
JOURNALIST: Yesterday, you spoke about the importance of being able to change tact when the circumstances change. In the spirit of that and given the Voice referendum result, would you reconsider holding a referendum just on the issue of constitutional recognition to do the right thing by First Australians?
PRIME MINISTER: We accepted the request. We listened to First Nations people who in the lead-up to 2017, the Uluru Statement under the former Government spent more than a decade working up that proposal. We listened. That was the proposal that we were asked to put forward. We put it forward. I have no plans to have further referendums. Peter Dutton has said that he will have another referendum, but then he said he wouldn't. Changed his mind after the referendum result. I've said I accept the referendum result. What we're working on is practical measures to close the gap in areas including housing, education, health and communications.
JOURNALIST: Peter Dutton and the Opposition has labelled you a liar, a political charlatan, amongst other things, as I'm sure you've seen. Can you weather these personal attacks on your character and your integrity?
PRIME MINISTER: What I'll do is focus on the needs of the Australian people. That's what focuses me every single day. And when you have cost of living pressures on low and middle income workers, then you have a responsibility to do something about it. I know that some of the publications that just weeks ago, did a survey, one could call it push polling, saying, 'Should the Government do more to help low and middle income earners, effectively, about cost of living crisis?' Then they splashed it on the front page and now are saying something different about the fact that we are doing something, focused on what confronts us, which is how do you assist low middle income earners who are under pressure because of cost of living, whilst not putting pressure on inflation? That's the measure that we put forward. And the question for Peter Dutton or anyone else is what measures had they put forward to assist low and middle income earners? Because they opposed cheaper medicines. They opposed the measures, including ridiculed the importance of fee-free TAFE, cheaper child care. When the energy price relief plan came on, there were some interesting publications at that time as well. Guess what? It worked. It lowered inflation, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Reserve Bank, Treasury. And this measure that we've put forward, that we've been clear about what our motivation is, which is how do we assess middle Australia which is under financial pressure?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you save you've changed your tax plan to suit the times. But when does a broken promise become a fib?
PRIME MINISTER: We have changed our policy. John Maynard Keynes, who was a pretty handy economist, had some good quotes about what happens when facts change. He said, 'I changed my mind. What do you do?' When confronted with the changing circumstances, which is with the pressure which lower middle income earners have been under, this is the best and most effective way that we can make a difference. I'm being upfront about the fact that we have changed our position, because the economic circumstances have changed. And when economic circumstances change, you change your economic policy. And what we have said, very clearly as well, is that this isn't the easy decision. This is the right decision being done for the right reasons.
JOURNALIST: Are you willing to make further changes to the package to get the support of the Greens and the crossbench?
PRIME MINISTER: We have put forward what is a calibrated, sensible package. It has the same costs across the forward estimates. But it is a better package being put forward. And Peter Dutton, of course, has a choice. They seem to have walked back from Sussan Ley's commitment as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, that just a couple of days ago that they absolutely would try to wind this back, these changes, if they're adopted by the Parliament. I think these are sensible changes. We will argue for it. We will argue for it. And the Coalition, I've noticed yesterday, Peter Dutton wasn't even saying necessarily that they'll vote against it. We'll wait and see. We'll wait for them to go through their mechanisms as well. We'll talk with all of the crossbenchers.
JOURNALIST: Are you willing to negotiate with the Greens?
PRIME MINISTER: These are sensible changes. These are our changes. And one of the things that I do is put forward the views of the Government and of the Labor Party. These have been unanimously adopted by our team. Because one of the things that we have done is listened to people. Listened to people. You can't say that you're concerned about cost of living pressure and then refuse to do anything about it. That's the Coalition's attitude. All complaint, no solutions. My Government is a government of solutions.
JOURNALIST: Just on cost of living measures, yesterday, you said that you would give money to CHOICE to help consumers to know what is cheaper in which particular supermarket. Kevin Rudd famously did something very similar early on in his prime ministership and that scheme was then abandoned in 2009. How would this be any different to that scheme that didn't work back then?
PRIME MINISTER: Because it was totally different. The two are not similar at all. This is funding an existing organisation, which does existing functions already, enabling them to do it better. CHOICE is a recognised consumer-based organisation that has respect throughout Australia. It's trusted. They're independent of government. So, this isn't the Government setting up something, this is just providing additional assistance to a respected organisation so that consumers can be better informed.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister Professor Long and Professor Scolyer spoke quite passionately last night about the need to reduce melanoma rates in Australia and about the need for advertisers, in particular, to stop glamorising tans. Do you see a role for the Federal Government over their time as Australians of the Year in working with them on that?
PRIME MINISTER: I certainly do. I think that they will be outstanding Australians of the Year. And I see not just a role for the Federal Government. I see that their powerful message is a motivating factor in Federal Government, state and territory governments, media organisations, as they said last night, but all of civil society to actually really elevate this as an issue. We are the gold medallists when it comes to melanoma around the world. And we need to do better. And their elevation as Australians of the Year, I believe, will have a real impact on all governments but hopefully, as well, much beyond government. I see this as something where Australians need to work together.
JOURNALIST: In the election campaign, you talked about modelling your prime ministership after Hawke and Howard. John Howard, when he made major tax change in the GST, he took that to an election. Are you making a fatal mistake by not following that model?
PRIME MINISTER: John Howard made a major range of changes. I can go through them with you, but it would take too much time. John Howard, when it comes to significant changes that were made, I was here from 1996, there were significant changes made by John Howard. He argued the case. What we're doing here is keeping the same amount of tax cuts across the forward estimates. But we're doing it better. We're doing it better because of the pressure that is on low and middle income. Australians. You can't say that you understand that there's pressure on working Australians, on working families, and then not be prepared to take advice about the best way that assistance can be given. Everyone's had a go. It is Australia Day. I'll be doing another event in Sydney and more celebrations. Thanks very much.