MONIQUE WRIGHT, HOST: Morning to you PM, good to see you. Looks like a beautiful day where you are. You're at the Magill Estate just outside of Adelaide to talk wine tariffs, which we're going to chat about in a moment. But first, on the immigration detainees issue.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning.
WRIGHT: So, you're obviously getting ahead of the game here. You were accused last time of being caught out. So, okay, if we're looking ahead, the High Court ruled indefinite detention is unconstitutional. How do you plan on getting around this, other than going to a referendum to change the constitution?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that isn't an option, but what is an option is what we're doing, which is putting in place measures to ensure people can be kept safe, getting ahead of the curve, making sure that we're in a position to respond and, in some cases, what do we need to do to preempt potential decisions which are there - get the appropriate legal advice. That's what we're doing. The High Court decision, of course, was one not of our making. It was one done in spite of the Government's opposition to it. But no government is above the law and we've had to respond to it. But we are ensuring that people are kept safe and we're putting in place appropriate measures to ensure community safety.
MATT DORAN, HOST: I think you can almost even hear in your voice, Prime Minister, that this is a tricky situation. This is a frustrating situation. How worried are you about the cases before court that will test out, I guess, the limit of our laws? And beyond that, the idea that this may have an effect on asylum seekers who are actually targeting Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, no, look, I wouldn't go down that track at all, re people being offshore. We have in place a system of ensuring that anyone who comes here, for example, as an unauthorised boat arrival, doesn't get to settle here. We saw that recently. The Government responded very quickly in removing those people from Western Australia who had arrived. We'll continue to have those measures in place and we'll just have an orderly response, and that is what my Government is ensuring is in place.
WRIGHT: Okay. Also, of course, we understand many more people arrive here by plane. I just want to talk to you about the psychological, the potential psychological impact on the community, because this caused a lot of fear back in November - what do you say to people who do have real fear about potential violent offenders being out walking around in our community? Because we know that supervision plans fail all the time.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Government's putting in place appropriate community safety measures. They are being put in place, they're there, monitoring is occurring. We're doing everything that we can. As I said, this is something the Government had to respond to. And what isn't appropriate is the promotion of fear in the community. The community can be very conscious of the fact that the Government is using everything at our disposal to ensure community safety is in place.
DORAN: There's no doubt that the Government's doing everything at its disposal PM - the question, I guess, for a lot of people is whether you expect more violent detainees to be released.
PRIME MINISTER: We responded to a High Court case. We responded by complying with the law. No government is above the law. We responded appropriately because, and that's acknowledged by whether it's the Government or the Opposition, no matter who was in government, they would have had to have dealt with this High Court decision. As I said, it's one that the Government opposed. But when the High Court makes a decision, then governments have to respond, and that's what we've done.
WRIGHT: Okay, let's move on to yesterday's aged care announcement, which was met with a lot of celebrations. A big pay bump, quite rightly, for those in the sector - not coming immediately, though PM, and support workers aren't getting a big share of it. They're also really crucial to the level of care. Any plans to do something for them? We're talking about the cleaners and the cooks that are so crucial to the type of care that we are able to provide.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, bear in mind that we've already had a 15 per cent pay increase for aged care workers. And that was important. That was in place. We want people to earn more and we also want them to keep more of what they earn. So, every single taxpayer will benefit from our tax cuts, including those in the aged care sector. They were going to miss out and get nothing under the former government's plan. It's one of the things that we've ensured, is that no one is left out. So, from July 1, that will be a bonus. So, on top of the normal wage increases, you've had a 15 per cent wage increase across the board. Now, this decision is a complex one. It goes through a range of categories of workers in the aged care sector, and differentiates between the recommended increases that they will be entitled to. But the general theme is the same as what we heard in the Aged Care Royal Commission, which is that unless we pay aged care workers more, we won't be able to retain staff, we won't be able to have the quality of care that our older Australians deserve in their later years. So, I want every Australian, every older Australian in particular, to be able to get the care and dignity that they deserve in their later years. What this is is recognising that a part of delivering that, is making sure that we have a paid workforce that retains staff and attracts more staff to the sector as well. We have an ageing population, so we will need more workers in the future in this sector.
DORAN: Prime Minister - a tricky decision, an historic decision, but a costly one, too. It'll cost around $20 billion over the next four years. How will it be paid for?
PRIME MINISTER: We'll examine all of the recommendations and the implications that are there in the decision. But we understand that this is an important component of fixing aged care in this country, and we're very clear about that.
WRIGHT: Okay, let's move on to where you are. You're at a winery. No one needs an excuse to be in a winery on a Saturday morning. You may have some good news for the wine industry?
PRIME MINISTER: Saturday morning before 9am…
WRIGHT: Nothing wrong with that!
PRIME MINISTER: It’s an unusual place to be.
DORAN: Nothing to see here.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, look, I'm here at this beautiful winery in Adelaide, or just outside of Adelaide. And what we know is that this industry is so important. Our exports to China were worth $1.1 billion before they were disrupted. We have an interim decision that will enable that export industry to thrive again. And it is so important - South Australia is the major provider, of course, of those wine exports, but there are large operations - like here at Penfolds, but many smaller wineries as well, throughout South Australia, throughout NSW, Victoria, Tassie, WA - that will really benefit from a lifting. That's what we want to see. The final decision will be by the end of March, but we're working with the sector to make sure that the preparations are there so it's ready to go when that decision comes down. We've already seen the positive benefits of the lifting of the impediments that were there, to barley, to meat products, to so many things that Australia exports.
WRIGHT: Okay, so you obviously got very good intel that it looks like it definitely will be lifted or you wouldn't be there, right. So, in March, is that just a procedural thing that you're expecting?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they've handed down their interim decision. The final decision is just days or weeks away at the most, given we're more than halfway through March now. So, that's a decision that will be made. It will be really positive and it will just be a shot in the arm for this industry. There's been pretty good crops in the last couple of years as well, so the supply is certainly there. And what the wine sector was telling us is that for many of the smaller wineries in particular, they were under pressure for their very survival. This decision will make an enormous difference. It's a product directly of the work that my Government has done to normalise, stabilise the relationship with China, to recognise the importance of that economic relationship. And we're seeing the benefit of that.
DORAN: Well, it is huge news, very exciting news. I imagine a tasting there is compulsory this morning.
WRIGHT: Be rude not to.
DORAN: Be rude not to really.
PRIME MINISTER: Not at this time of the morning, it won't be. So, I think that I'll leave that to those tourists who arrive later in the day. That's the other thing about this industry, is it's not just the wine that's produced, it's the accommodation, it's the tourism factor, both domestic and globally as well. We're a great destination. And here in South Australia in particular, whether it's here in the foothills of the Adelaide Hills or the Clare Valley or the Barossa, there's just fantastic places. And that is so important for jobs and that's what this is about - jobs. And that's my Government's focus. Getting more jobs, getting them higher paid, and then getting people to keep more of what that high wages are.
WRIGHT: All right, thank you very much, PM. Great to talk to you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you.