MIKE AMOR, HOST: From Mount Eliza to Frankston to Seaford and Sandhurst, this area in the southeast has the attention of the nation ahead of this weekend's Dunkley by-election. Joining me now from Canberra is Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Afternoon, Prime Minister.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon.
AMOR: 56.3 per cent of Dunkley voted “no” in the Voice Referendum. How confident are you that they'll back Labor in this Saturday's by-election?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, of course it's sad that the by-election is taking place due to the untimely death from cancer of Peta Murphy, who's gone too soon at age just 50. But, Peta, before she left us, she recruited Jodie Belyea to the Labor Party to carry on the work that she had done in being such a strong advocate for the community there around Frankston, around Mount Eliza. And what she wanted, was what Jodie Belyea wants, which is to look after people on cost of living, to strengthen Medicare, to make sure we have a future made in Australia and to deliver on infrastructure. And certainly Jodie is doing that and she'll be a very strong voice in government for that local community.
AMOR: Prime Minister, I've got to ask, was too much of your focus in the past year on the Voice? Because residents here that we've spoken to today, they're very concerned about cost of living pressures. I know you're going to talk to me about the tax cuts, but what difference will a tax cut of $20 a week really make to the residents here who are struggling so much?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll tell you what, for people who were going to get nothing and get $800 additional, it will make a substantial difference. For people who were going to get $1,000 and will get more than $2,000, more than double the tax cut for average workers, that will make a substantial difference. For working families where mum and dad are working and they were going to get $1,000, instead they'll get $2,600, people on a combined income of $130,000. It will make a substantial difference, along with our cheaper medicines, our energy price relief plan, our fee-free TAFE that's been delivered there at Chisholm TAFE, our capacity for people to visit the Urgent Care Clinic. Over 12,000 local residents have been to that Urgent Care Clinic at Frankston. All they've needed is their Medicare card, not their credit card. We have been working day in, day out on cost of living measures. Every single one of those measures has been opposed by Peter Dutton and the Coalition. So, what we'll continue to do is to work each and every day to make a difference. And Jodie Belyea will be a very strong advocate on cost of living issues for that local electorate.
AMOR: But, Prime Minister, with respect, the people that we spoke to say that those tax cuts are simply not enough. They're not enough to get them over the line, not enough to pay the bills, the mortgage and their rent, which have all exploded.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they were going to get nothing from Peter Dutton. If you earned under $45,000, if you're an average worker, you were going to get half what Peter Dutton wanted, who said, of course, that he would oppose it and fight it, then they said they'd roll it back, then they said they wanted an election. It's all negativity. And what we've done is put forward practical measures. 350,000 people have received a start with fee-free TAFE last year. The Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are open. $300 million has been saved through cheaper medicines. We have investment in public and affordable housing, all of which has been opposed by Peter Dutton and the Liberals. And on top of that, of course, real wages are now increasing as a direct result of the policies that we’ve put in place, the 15 per cent wage increase for aged care workers, something that was opposed by Peter Dutton and the Liberals. Now, Jodie Belyea will be a strong voice for further measures. We have concentrated on cost of living measures, but also on strengthening Medicare and delivering for the local community there in that electorate. And Peta Murphy was fantastic at delivering for that local community and Jodie will carry on that work.
AMOR: Prime Minister, will you take responsibility for whatever the result is on Saturday?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm the Prime Minister, I take responsibility for everything that my Government is involved with and that is the job that I have the great privilege and honour of serving. I visited there on a range of occasions. I opened Peta Murphy's electorate office there that saw so many people get that practical assistance with Centrelink, with healthcare, with education, with migration issues. And I want Jodie to be able to continue that work. I visited there a number of times over many years now and I know that that is a community that fights for its rights, that fights for a better chop out of funding. There's extraordinary investment taking place there, either from Federal Labor or from the State Labor Government, through the massive investment and upgrade of Frankston Hospital that will make such a substantial difference. But we want to continue that work. Jodie will be able to do that as a member of the Government. And she's someone who comes from that community. She's not a career politician, she's someone who's a local mum. Her son's at the local high school. She's someone who's worked in local programs helping disadvantaged women. She knows what it's like to do it tough and that is why, due to that direct experience, she'll be able to be such a strong voice for that local community.
AMOR: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, thanks for joining us this afternoon.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much. And I'm sure you're having a great day in what is a tremendous local community.