CHRISTIAN MCEWAN, HOST: We have a very special guest, as big as it gets in fact, not in stature, he's not the biggest guy in the world, but.
MARTY HAYNES, HOST: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be in Wollongong today, he's visiting the University of Wollongong's Smart Infrastructure Facility at 10:30 today, he'll be here, but he's joining us here at i98 this morning. Prime Minister, welcome.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, great to be with you.
BELLA LEONE, HOST: Oh, this is a big get for us. We're usually interviewing MAFS people.
HAYNES: Yes, so welcome, welcome.
PRIME MINISTER: I am very, very excited about coming to Wollongong today. When I was…
HAYNES: Oh, we lost him!
LEONE: I bet you he's on Picton Road.
PRIME MINISTER: Are you there?
MCEWAN: We've got you, Mr Prime Minister.
LEONE: What were you saying about Wollongong, you love it?
PRIME MINISTER: I love it, and I'm really excited about coming down there. When I was the Infrastructure Minister, we funded the Smart Infrastructure Centre and today we're establishing the Energy Futures Skill Centre with a $10 million grant to the University of Wollongong. And we're also putting $2.5 million dollars into upgrading equipment and material at the Renewable Energy Training Facility there in Wollongong. So the two facilities together, working to build the energy workforce of the future.
HAYNES: That's great. It's great for our region.
MCEWAN: Yeah, it is fantastic. It's great to see investment in our region, Mr Prime Minister, because we feel like we deserve it. That's what we feel.
PRIME MINISTER: Well you do deserve it, it's a great region, and you've been at the heart of manufacturing and skills and innovation. And the University of Wollongong, of course, has such a fantastic history of scientific breakthroughs in areas, light wave energy was really pioneered in the University of Wollongong internationally, not just in Australia. So it's great to be able to be investing once again, in that magnificent facility with its world class researchers.
LEONE: Yeah, we're pretty special down here, you're right. I just want to peek behind the curtain of a Prime Minister, so put us in your shoes. You get off the phone to President Joe Biden, you hang up. What's the first thing you do, do you go, 'Oh, my gosh?' Do you get a beer? What do you do?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I've got to say, on of course, the Monday, the 23rd of May, just two days after the election, less than 48 hours, I got sworn in at 9am, and I was on a plane before midday. And meeting President Biden, and Prime Minister Kishida of Japan, and Prime Minister Modi of India, and it was no opportunity for my feet to touch the ground. It was pretty phenomenal. It was like, okay, so this is real. And it was a good thing, I think, because often a transition to government takes a period of time. But I think for Australians as well, they can see, okay, new government, this is where they're headed. And the fact that we were welcomed by global leaders because of our changed position on climate change, which is basically the entry fee into international credibility. And Australia was back around the table.
LEONE: Yeah that's awesome.
HAYNES: Is it sometimes surreal? When you look back, you go I'm Prime Minister of Australia?
MCEWAN: Yeah, I'm the big boss.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh absolutely. I grew up with, you know, a single mum in a council house in Camperdown. And when I was growing up, you know, my prospects were, I hope to get a job and you know, a career, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. My mum encouraged me to get an education, and to go to university, which was pretty good of her because she was really struggling, but she saw that as the key to opportunity, which I do as well. Whether it's TAFE and a career in a trade or whether it is going to university, I think that education and skills are the key to not just individuals improving their lot in life. But they're the key to Australia doing better, too. We've got to be the smart country. I don't want to compete on the basis of our wages going down, I want to compete on the basis of how smart and innovative we are. And we can be a renewable energy superpower, and part of this fits together, the Energy Future Skills Centre with our 180,000 fee-free TAFE places, our 10,000 new energy apprenticeships, where we will give people $10,000 to go into the new energy jobs of the future, so that as our economy changes, we have the skills base to maintain and build and look after new energy infrastructure.
LEONE: Well take that, China, take that.
MCEWAN: Well, Albo, you certainly. Am I allowed to call you Albo? I'm allowed to call you Albo, aren't I?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course you are.
MCEWAN: You certainly took those opportunities, didn't you? And it's one of those jobs where people often say it's a job that sends you grey, but you went in there as a silver shark already, so I think you were made for the job where you slid in there, ready to go. But you're coming down today with New South Wales Labor head Chris Minns, right? So he's now, he's campaigning at the moment. When you're not campaigning, is it just like, hoo, and you just relax for a little bit? Or no, because you're, you're always under so much scrutiny?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I try to find things where I can relax. One of the things I like doing is playing tennis. And I find that is a real time where you can switch off, because it's a pretty simple game, hit the ball over the net between the lines, but you have to be just thinking about that. Whereas I find if you're at a movie or watching TV, your mind's still ticking over, the phone's ringing, all of that. So I still play in the Sydney Badge Tennis Comp, for Marrickville.
LEONE: Oh my gosh, imagine being on the other side of the net, and you're like I'm hitting to Albo? Take that forehand.
PRIME MINISTER: It's a bit weird, I only made four rounds last year out of the comp. And it's a bit similar, I'm sure will be this year. But I just find it really refreshing and good for my mental health as well. You do need to take a break. So whether it's that or listening to music, I went to the Sunnyboys' last gig ever at the Enmore Theatre last Saturday night. And they played with Painters and Dockers for the support act. And that's a time too when you can just switch off, listen to live music. And so I think you've got to do those things in order to be able to do your job. This week, I've been in Sydney, Canberra, Perth, Kalgoorlie, Port Hedland and Adelaide since Monday. And today I'll be in Wollongong, the street walk with Chris Minns in Kiama. And then we're heading down with Fiona Phillips as well, we've got an announcement on the South Coast, further south, a roads announcement around Nowra. And so it's another busy day, but it's a real privilege to have the position that I do, and to be able to make a difference to people, and this facility at the University of Wollongong, we'll be laughing, it's like, the Smart Infrastructure Facility that I announced now more than a decade ago, that's still going, making an enormous difference. So I really get a great deal of satisfaction out of the policy changes which make that long-term difference, particularly in regions like Wollongong, where it's so important for Australia's future.
MCEWAN: Well, look, we've got a lot of nice tennis courts down here, if that's what you get into. At least you're not playing handball like Kevin '07
HAYNES: I do have a big question, though. Souths take on the Sharks next week, Saturday the 4th of March. How do you think we'll go this year?
PRIME MINISTER: We'll go real well. I had the opportunity to speak with Blake Solly last night, the CEO, Nick Pappas, who's a mate of mine, the Chair, from when I was on the board many, many years ago. Last century, literally. And they're very, very upbeat. And Damien Cook was in Canberra a few weeks ago, he says that it is the best training preseason team he's ever been with, that they're really clicking. We've got no new signings this year. So they're the team that have worked together for a while now, and Lachy Ilias will be much, much better this year. He was good last year, really good at the back end of the season, but I think between him and Cody just gets better with age, he's like a good red wine.
HAYNES: True, Prime Minister, true.
MCEWAN: Well you're coming into Dragons country, Albo, so just be careful mate.
LEONE: However, I'm a Tigers supporter.
PRIME MINISTER: Mate the Dragons were talking about getting rid of Illawarra!
MCEWAN: Yeah I know, I know, but that wasn't true.
HAYNES: We want the Steelers back, bring the Steelers back.
LEONE: I'm a Tigers supporter Albo. I know, great, it's fantastic. I agree.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh look, I've got like Leichhardt Oval in my seat and I've got a real soft spot for the Tigers. I hope they go well, I think it's fantastic that Benji Marshall is back there with the great Timmy Sheens and I think they'll have a much, much better year this year.
LEONE: Andrew Johns agrees.
PRIME MINISTER: They're my smokey for the eight.
HAYNES: Your smokey for the eight?
PRIME MINISTER: Yep, you heard it here first.
LEONE: Can you repeat that for me? Say it again, I want to hear it really well.
PRIME MINISTER: They're the smokey for the final eight, the Tigers.
MCEWAN: Can we remember we're in, we're broadcasting to the Dragons area.
LEONE: Come on Tigers for the eight!
MCEWAN: Can we just all get across that, do we want ratings?
PRIME MINISTER: I've done the right thing, I haven't mentioned the Charity Shield.
HAYNES: Don't worry, Prime Minister, I did last week.
MCEWAN: I tell you, if you weren't the Prime Minister.
HAYNES: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, welcome to the Gong once again.
PRIME MINISTER: Good on you. And I really look forward to spending some time there today in Wollongong, Kiama and Nowra, so right throughout the region this morning and into the afternoon.
MCEWAN: Thank you Mr Prime Minister.