MURRAY JONES, HOST: Well, as we know, Cairns is turning 150 years of age this year and the old girl at the radio station is turning 90 years of age. The first radio station here in Cairns, she's even older than me. To help me celebrate this special occasion, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Good morning. How are you today?
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Murray. Congratulations to you and everyone at 4CA. You've been a part of the tropical north now for 90 years and that's such an achievement. Radio is a tough business. And commercial radio it can be really tough. But you've not only survived, you've thrived. And that's to your credit.
JONES: Thank you. And of course, you know, the spirit of the radio station just continues to move on, you know, despite different employees. It's about the spirit of the radio station and of course, the listenership here in Cairns. Well, thank you. Thank you for your kind words. Great to talk to you this morning. We really need to start with the Farrer by-election. A big result in some ways across the weekend. Were you surprised by the margin that One Nation managed to get up across the weekend?
PRIME MINISTER: I wasn't really that surprised because it's pretty clear that the traditional Coalition parties, the Liberal Party and the National Party, don't really stand for anything anymore. They don't give people a reason to vote for them. And the removal of Sussan Ley in the brutal way that it happened, you know – we've got a Budget this week, of course, tomorrow night, and then a Budget Reply that the Opposition Leader gets to give. And Sussan Ley didn't even get to give an Opposition Leader's reply to the Budget before she was taken out in such a brutal way by Angus Taylor, who didn't really give her a crack. Both Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie were out there undermining her from day one. And given she'd been a loyal local member for 25 years, then that made an enormous difference, I think. Particularly in the regions, having a local member who represents a community can go beyond party politics as well. I think Matt Smith is doing an amazing job. And before him, of course, Warren Entsch. Different side of politics, but same commitment to their local community. And that makes a big difference. And so, I think also, when they made a decision to give One Nation preferences they were really saying it's okay to vote for One Nation.
JONES: Is it causing a vacuum? I mean, a lot of people are saying it's sadly becoming a lot more like the United States. Extreme right to a degree, you know, some might argue extreme left. But it seems like in this country, and it's probably playing directly into your court, there's becoming more and more of a vacuum in the centre of politics and Labor's basically filling that hole.
PRIME MINISTER: There's only one political party that is in the centre of Australian politics and looking after mainstream issues and that's the Labor Party. We've got the Greens political party on our left and now we've got three right-wing parties effectively all promising similar things. And that's why if the Liberal Party just try to be One Nation light, then they shouldn't be surprised that people will vote for the real thing rather than the lighter version of it.
JONES: Many are saying that, you know, this result across the weekend is really more of a concern for Matt Canavan, the Nationals and of course the Liberal Party here in Australia. How much do you think the Farrer by-election is really a litmus test of how people are feeling here in Australia right across the board? When you think about some of those seats like the Teal Independent ones that have been won in recent years, I mean, is One Nation going to actually be able to get further into the bigger cities? Do you feel?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm not sure that One Nation's appeal will go beyond the sort of seat that we've seen and where they traditionally have done okay. I think the problem for them is that they really focus on grievance rather than solutions. They're not really a party of government. And I think a whole lot of people in the centre of Australian politics, the sort of people who change their vote from time to time or traditionally have been Labor or moderate Liberal voters. They don't want to see One Nation be a part of government. And what is very clear now is that the chances of the Liberal Party and National Party being a part of a government just by themselves don't look pretty, don't look likely to say the least. And the fact they're talking openly about effectively a three party government down the track. I think people know how unstable a Liberal-National-One Nation government would be. You know, they don't like each other. The Liberal Party and the National Party have blown up twice this year since the election. And the idea you put a third party in there as well. And Pauline Hanson, traditionally, you will remember Murray, they did pretty well in Queensland state election at the end of the last century and just about, I think almost every single person who was elected, didn't make it to the end of the term. So, I think what Australians need is a stable government. That's what my Government is. We've had one PM, one Deputy PM, a Defence Minister, one Treasurer, one Finance Minister, one Foreign Minister, one Education Minister, one Health Minister the whole way through for four years. And that's about getting things done in the interests of people rather than focusing on internal politics and power moves. And that's what we're seeing on the right wing of politics these days.
JONES: Before I let you go, obviously we do need to talk about the Budget coming up. Let's talk about saving more than we're spending. A focus on fuel security, housing and productivity. I guess they're the main areas that we're likely to see the focus from Jim Chalmers in the next day or so.
PRIME MINISTER: They sure are. And tomorrow night, Jim will deliver a Budget that is focused on relief and the pressures that are on from fuel security. It’s focused on resilience. How do we bring a stronger Australia – make us less vulnerable to these international shocks. And reform – how do we put in place reforms that set Australia up for the future. So, it will be a very wide-ranging Budget. We live in really turbulent times, that's the truth. And I think since February 28, the war in the Middle East has had an impact right around the world. But I think Australians know how hard we've been working on fuel security and they know also that our opponents have just been pretty negative about it. When I travelled to Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei to improve that fuel security and to put in place those arrangements, it was criticised by the Coalition. Well, guess what? The anticipated shocks that were there in the system of shortages so far up to this point – there's still pressure on – but so far have been much better than we thought. There's more fuel in Australia today than there was on February 28, and that's because of hard work, orderly government and really paying dividends for the relationships that were built over the last four years.
JONES: Airbus, Albo. And you were flying in a Boeing, weren't you?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, I was, actually. I was.
JONES: Let's talk a little bit more about the intergenerational inequality. And there's no doubt that it is tough for younger generations, regardless of how hard they work and how dedicated they are. It's not the same as it used to be. Will the Budget start to address, you know, some of those issues with respect to this intergenerational inequality and start to balance the scales too.
PRIME MINISTER: It will. The dream of home ownership is disappearing for a generation of Australians, and we can't afford to just sit back and watch that happen. Any responsible government has to take the needs of the younger generation and generations to come seriously so that's why we have concentrated on supply. You'll see further measures today – we're announcing an additional $500 million to assist with the environmental reforms we've put in place to fast track those housing approvals and to make sure we improve housing supply. But intergenerational equity – we see what happens when people don't think they have a shot at a fair go. That's the Australian principle and value that we have, and I don't want to see that disappear. So, you'll see measures in the budget that are aimed at that equity issue for young Australians to give them a fair crack.
JONES: Look, I know you've got a lot on your agenda today. Once again, you've been very generous with your time. Wonderful to talk to you. Hopefully we'll see you in town again fairly shortly. But Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese. You have a wonderful day. Cheers.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, mate.