CHARLES MAXWELL, HOST: Well, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is coming to the Shoalhaven today, in Callala in fact, and our newsreader, Peter Andrea, caught up with the Prime Minister earlier on, and the subject got onto the roads around the Shoalhaven, and the new bridge.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, we'll be investing $40 million in critical safety upgrades for six different Shoalhaven roads, upgrades to Forest Road, Calalla Beach Road, Calalla Bay Road, Culburra Road, Worrigee Intersection and the Calalla Bay Intersection just outside of Nowra. This builds on the other commitments that we've made as a federal government and I'll be here with Chris Minns, the New South Wales Labor Leader with Fiona Phillips, our local Federal Member and also Liza Butler, the State Candidate for South Coast.
PETER ANDREA, HOST: Now, obviously, the state election is looming, you would like to get that Labor candidate up and elected?
PRIME MINISTER: I certainly would, because I want to work with a government that's committed to regional New South Wales. And I know that Chris Minns is just that person. And so I'll be campaigning today in Kiama and South Coast with Chris Minns. What we know is that on areas like health services delivery, education, housing, but also the important road projects as well, in Chris Minns, Federal Labor will have a strong partner.
ANDREA: Now, there's a lot of talk of, we've just reopened or just opened the new Nowra Bridge overnight. But there is still talk of the need for a Nowra Bypass. Is the government listening to that?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, well we've put $97 million towards planning for Nowra Bypass. We recently put additional funding in there to make sure that it's got right and some of the pre-construction work can begin. We think that's important, it's part of the commitment that we have to upgrade roads in the region following the opening of the bridge, which is so important as well, which had some $155 million of federal funding.
ANDREA: Schools and education another big issue down on the South Coast and in the Shoalhaven.
PRIME MINISTER: Absolutely, and we need to recognise that education is the key to opening up the doors of opportunity. And so we need a government in New South Wales that will partner with the Federal Government. Chris Minns is committed to additional education funding. And we also will recognise the importance of university funding, which is primarily funded from the Commonwealth. Just this morning I'm announcing increased funding for the University of Wollongong, which is such an important centre for the university, a $10 million investment in building the Energy Future Skills Centre that follows on from the Smart Infrastructure Facility that I funded when I was the Infrastructure Minister, all those years ago. We're committed to funding and supporting our regional universities. The University of Wollongong is a world class research facility. And we want to invest in our regions and in the people of the regions as well.
ANDREA: Now the Federal Jobs Summit, there was some fairly vigorous input from the Gilmore MP, Fiona Phillips.
PRIME MINISTER: Absolutely. Fiona Phillips is such an outstanding local advocate. She has fought for and secured additional funding for the university there, but also for local roads, such as these projects around the Shoalhaven. She's someone who's fought for and is so committed to her region, which is why she's been so successful in her re-election. It was obviously a critical seat of Gilmore at the federal election. It was the one that gave us an absolute majority in the Parliament, that's been important for stability of the Government, which is what people need to the chaos of the last few years that we've seen. And Fiona Phillips continues to be such a strong advocate.
ANDREA: And on the state scene, we're about to lose a long-standing sitting member from the Liberals. Is this seat realistically winnable?
PRIME MINISTER: These seats are certainly winnable. The South Coast is winnable and so is Kiama. And for the region, what we're seeing with the State Liberal Government is a whole lot of retirements, you have ministers opting out of running again, but maintaining their position in the ministry. And you really see a lot of chaos, and the Liberals focusing on fighting each other. What we need is Chris Minns as State Premier who will fight for the people of the South Coast and the people of New South Wales, not fight with his colleagues.
ANDREA: The Liberals are saying on the funding issue for infrastructure that promises were made for the Nowra Bridge, but they haven't seen the dollars.
PRIME MINISTER: We've put every single dollar that we've committed into the bridge and into now additional funding, since our election, over and on top of funding that was previously given for the Nowra Bypass. My government will be a government committed to infrastructure investment.
ANDREA: Now you'll drive past that new bridge today. It will apparently take traffic on Sunday. So are you going to come back for another drive across it?
PRIME MINISTER: Certainly, it's an exciting project. I stood there with Fiona Phillips and committed Federal Labor to funding the project, was the first big commitment that was given for the upgrade of the Nowra Bridge. And that's just a part of the commitment that we've given. And it's great that it's been realised and it will make an enormous difference for the region.
ANDREA: And you're looking forward to driving over it?
PRIME MINISTER: I certainly am. I love new infrastructure. I had the privilege of being the Infrastructure Minister for six years and making an enormous difference putting record investment into the Princes Highway, and the Nowra Bridge project, it has been an important one.
ANDREA: Prime Minister, thank you for your time.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much.