SABRA LANE, HOST: There are just 11 days to go until the referendum on the Voice to Parliament. If set up, the Voice would advise Parliament and government on matters affecting First Nations people. It wouldn't have a power of veto. If the polls are right, it's heading for defeat. It was a promise that Anthony Albanese made the night he won the election last year to embrace the Uluru Statement in full. The Prime Minister is in Hobart and he joins me now. Good morning and welcome to the program.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning Sabra. Great to be in Hobart.
LANE: Whatever happens, you will need to bring the nation together on October the 15th. How will you do that?
PRIME MINISTER: We'll do that, firstly, by accepting the outcome of the referendum. But secondly, I'm very hopeful. And there's a positive sign today with the Essential poll that is heading in the right direction, that Australians when they focus on the very gracious request of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to just simply recognise them in our nation's founding document. And secondly, to have a non-binding advisory group to advise them on matters affecting their lives so that we get better results. And I'm hoping that a Yes result will be declared on the 14th. And then on the 15th, I think the country will certainly come together just as it did after the Apology to the Stolen Generation.
LANE: Do you still think it's winnable despite all the polls at the moment pointing to a defeat?
PRIME MINISTER: It is certainly winnable. And what I get including from the volunteers who I met with in Hobart yesterday afternoon, is that when people have those one-on-one conversations with people about what the question is, when I myself have pointed out to people, sat down with people and asked them to read the question, people who are either undecided or soft no voters declare 'yeah, that's fair enough'. This is the right thing to do. This is consistent with the Australian principle of a fair go.
LANE: Pre-poll stations around the country all open today. There are 17 and a half million registered voters. You can't have one-on-one conversations with every one of them.
PRIME MINISTER: That's true. But that's the challenge that we have. We have over 50,000 volunteers out there talking with people on the doors, talking with people when they go to vote, having phone conversations. There are people having conversations with their parents and grandparents, their neighbours, their workmates about what this is about. And we have another 12 days in which to have those conversations. And they're important because this is a very gracious request.
LANE: What are the consequences? We've talked a lot about the Voice and what it would mean if it gets up. But what are the consequences of a No vote? That's an important part of the discussion right now, isn't it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're in No right now. No is more of the same, not changing the processes that are in place. We know that we have an eight-year life expectancy gap. We know that there's a greater chance of an Indigenous young male going to jail than university. Which is why we need to do better, which is why I encourage people to vote Yes in this referendum.
LANE: You wouldn't think about taking a fresh referendum to another election to get people to vote on that? If this is so important, why not keep pursuing it?
PRIME MINISTER: That's Peter Dutton's position. Peter Dutton's position is to vote No at this referendum and then have another one. He talks about the cost of a referendum but he wants to have two. This has been a process that's been around for a long period of time. This is a request from Aboriginal people. And what they have said is that they want constitutional recognition, but they want recognition with some substance to it, that makes a difference, which is why they want the opportunity just to be listened to, not to have the right of veto, not to have power over the Parliament, but just to be listened to. Why? Because we know that when we listen to people who are directly affected, then you get better outcomes. Which is why this is also a very conservative economic proposal. You'll get more efficiency, and you'll also get Indigenous people to have responsibility for the outcomes.
LANE: You were buoyed by Nathan Cleary voicing his support for this yesterday. Do you have planned legislation ready and drafted to go to Parliament on the 16th in the case that it's a Yes vote?
PRIME MINISTER: No. What I've said is we'll establish a joint parliamentary committee with chaired jointly by someone from the Labor party and someone from the Coalition and it will work together across the Parliament to secure the maximum possible support for the legislation for the Voice. Both sides are saying the Voice should be legislated. Both sides are saying that they support recognition of Indigenous Australians. The only difference is here should it be enshrined in the Constitution. And Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are saying that because they want the security that a body actually continues to exist, it'll still be shaped by the Parliament of the day.
LANE: We'll move on to some other issues. The competition watchdog, the ACCC, says that childcare in this country is a market failure. The poorest are paying the most and the activity to test is working against them. That's under the Labor policy's current settings. Are you prepared to fix this failure?
PRIME MINISTER: We certainly are. And we've made big strides already with the cheaper childcare plan that was legislated, that we promised to implement. But we are also looking at the ACCC recommendations. I was in an early learning centre just yesterday in Sunbury in Victoria. And we know that this is important economic reform, because it's about workforce participation, it's about boosting productivity. And it of course, will have a difference for the third P of economic growth as well, population.
LANE: Are you prepared to look at the ideas that the ACCC put forward to fully cover the costs of childcare with minimal cost to families in poor and remote areas?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we'll certainly look at all of the ideas that have been put forward by the ACCC. This is a constructive report. But we know that we're already making a difference. We regard this as a priority. We also have introduced the paid parental leave improvements as well, leading to six months. We need to make sure that we take advantage of women's workforce participation, not just for women, for them to be able to participate fully in the workforce, not just for families in terms of lifting up their living standards, but for our national economy as well.
LANE: The Disability Royal Commission has put forward some major reforms, ending segregation in schools, paying fair wages to those working in disability enterprises. Some commissioners also want to an end to group housing. Can all of that happen without tax increases or cutting government spending elsewhere?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we've just received the report. It took four-and-a-half years and about half a billion dollars. There are 222 recommendations in this report, 99 of them are purely Commonwealth responsibility, but some are state responsibility, some a joint responsibility. We will examine really carefully all of the recommendations and respond appropriately. But this is a serious piece of work. Some of the recommendations aren't agreed, and so on issues like schools, they're complex issues. We'll examine it. We'll continue to engage and talk with stakeholders. But the principle in the report is really important. We want every Australian to have the same opportunities in life. That was the principle behind the NDIS and that is the fundamental principle in the way that we respond to this report.
LANE: Some of the recommendations, though, would involve a major change in the way that they're funded. When the government does respond to this, will the government also be clear about how the money for these things is going to be found?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we always are. We're a government that has been economically responsible. We were the government that turned a $78 billion deficit into a $22 billion surplus, a $100 billion turnaround while providing cost of living relief.
LANE: So you will be clear? Given that the NDIS maybe even the Productivity Commission had it wrong on how much that was going to cost?
PRIME MINISTER: They did but also some of the issues in the NDIS as well - we've been cracking down on fraudulent behaviour. We want to make sure that every single dollar makes a positive difference to the lives of people with disabilities. It's a very clear principle that we have, but it's one I think that we share with the Australian people. They want to see that opportunity and that dignity given to people with disabilities.
LANE: Now you're in Tasmania. You know how tough minority government can be.
PRIME MINISTER: I do.
LANE: You were manager of government business under the Gillard Government. The Tasmanian Premier here is now in a spot of bother. He is struggling for this government to survive given that one of his own is now threatening to stay in Parliament as an independent. Do you have any sympathy for Jeremy Rockliff?
PRIME MINISTER: I do. I was leader of the government in a house that had 70 votes out of 150. Premier Rockliff has a 10 out of 25 at this point in time, and it certainly is a messy situation. I obviously am a Labor loyalist. I'm a good friend with Rebecca and I had a meeting with her yesterday. But I have a good relationship with Premier Rockliff. I'll work with whoever the Premier or Chief Minister is in a constructive way in our joint interests.
LANE: Prime Minister thanks for joining us here in the studio in Hobart.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Sabra.