OLIVER PETERSON, HOST: Good to have your company here on Perth Live. And standing opposite me in the 6PR studios is the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese. Good to see you.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Wonderful to be with you, Ollie.
PETERSON: How was Garden Island this morning?
PRIME MINISTER: Garden Island was fabulous. It was very exciting. We went on the USS Vermont, a nuclear powered Virginia-class submarine. Got to go down and have a look at everything including the missile chambers and the periscope. I got to operate. It's a bit like operating a Nintendo or something with the periscope. It can hone in on particular sites, it can spread out, it can go around obviously in 360 degrees. And I got to meet two young Australians who've spent 18 months already, the USS Missouri, part of the training program that we have. There are 13 Australians on that sub out of the about 130 people, seafarers and officers on the sub. And so ten per cent of them are Australian. It's just one way that we're not preparing for AUKUS, we're getting right ahead with AUKUS. It’s here, right here, right now.
PETERSON: So, obviously it's going ahead. You just the other week caught up with President Donald Trump. I know there's a review into AUKUS that has not been finalised yet from the US side of the relationship, but obviously you're pretty confident that he's, pardon the pun, full steam ahead.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, absolutely. And that's what he said in front of the media, which is consistent with the discussions that we'd had between myself and the President. It's an exciting time. And one of the things that will occur, of course, isn't just about defence, it's about advancing - so, for example, there was essentially what looked like a shipping container, but providing pure water. The water in a submarine such as that has to be absolutely clean and pure. And this is a mobile purification unit, essentially, is what you might call it developed in Australia, manufactured in Australia. And because it's mobile, it's going to be of use. And the UK as well, our partners. So, one of the things that the US naval personnel emphasised to me was that they're learning as well off of Australia's input. And sometimes the sum of one plus one plus one is more than three. And that's what AUKUS is about, lifting up the capacity of Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom by getting that collaboration, by spreading innovation. And there'll be a whole range of industries that grow out of the work that's taking place at Stirling, the work at Henderson here in the West and South Australia are the big two winners from this project.
PETERSON: To create about 20,000 jobs across both states.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, absolutely. But that's really direct. Like there'll be more than that. It's a spin off. We've suffered in this country since the former government told the car industry to leave. Because it's not just the directs in an industry, it's the innovation and the complex manufacturing processes that arise from it, those skills that arise from it as well. And so it's really exciting. There's about 250 Australians currently in Hawaii at Pearl Harbour participating, learning skills. The same thing's happening in the United States, in the UK up at Barrow. And so there'll be good, well paid, secure jobs come out of this and a spin off as well for areas like the suppliers of, people, let alone, of course, tourism. A whole lot of the seafarers on, on the USS Vermont might come down and have a holiday here as well when they've seen how beautiful this part of the world is.
PETERSON: Absolutely. I see that the political debate starting to shift back to issues like migration at the moment, Prime Minister, people are worried about housing, schools. The ABS data obviously released last week showing net permanent long term arrivals up about six per cent from last year to record in this country. The infrastructure isn't keeping up though, is it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the net migration figures are actually down 40 per cent. That's the truth of the matter of what is happening. And it's interesting that you had this big launch of not so much a policy, but really just a pamphlet on energy. And it's not clear what it is. It's a bit like what kids are doing out there in school playgrounds talking about 6-7. No one kind of knows what it means, cause it doesn't really mean much at all. And that was the case with their policy and now they're trying to say, ‘oh no, we're going to look over here, we've got another policy’. So, you don't look at what it is –
PETERSON: That’s just policies though, Prime Minister. We hear on the talkback lines regularly, you know, schools overcrowded, hospitals are crunched, people can't get a roof over their head.
PRIME MINISTER: We're getting the numbers down, that's precisely why we're doing it. And I note that the Coalition have said they're going to have a policy, but it won't have a number on it, it won't have a migration target or anything else. Well it's just another example of them not providing any substance as we go forward –
PETERSON: But the –
PRIME MINISTER: And it was inevitable. Ollie, here in WA, very conscious about border closures. You had border closures with the rest of Australia, let alone with the rest of the world. So, of course there was a short term spike when our international borders opened. In part that was because of Australians coming home who were locked out.
PRIME MINISTER: The Federal Government today is being told it needs to honour its 2023 National Cabinet Agreement on health funding. That was a statement released after this Health Minister's meeting today expressing concern how the approaching health and disability funding negotiations. ‘States cannot cut public hospital activity to suit the Federal Government's bottom line’. That's the statement signed by Jeremy Rockliff on behalf of that meeting today. So, greater assurances from the Government. Can you provide that to the states in terms of its health and hospital and disability funding?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we are providing additional funding, and indeed the period in which they're speaking about was talking about a $13 billion increase. We've already got a $20 billion increase on the table with states and territories. There's nothing unusual, Ollie, about State Premiers asking for more money for services that they run –
PETERSON: Well, they want our GST, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Nothing unusual about that at all. And states and territories do want WA’s GST, but that's an example as well. WA is getting its fair share of the GST. But guess what? They're missing out if you actually listen to what they say. But they're getting compensated by us. The only section of government that is missing out and having to pay more money is the Australian Government as a result of the agreement that we are sticking to.
PETERSON: Well, the states say spending is increasing as older population utilises the system. Is that a fair concern?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course we have an ageing of the population, but that's one of the reasons why we have put in place the biggest aged care reforms this century. And they began, of course, Ollie, on November 1st. Now, when I ran for Prime Minister in 2022, we said we'd put nurses back in nursing homes. Guess what? We've done that 99 per cent of the time. There's literally millions of additional hours being spent because of the increase in aged care support, which is there. We have increased at a cost of double digits, billions, the aged care pay, so that we continue to have a workforce. We inherited a system that was summarised in the interim report with one word in its title, neglect. That's what we inherited. We're dealing with that and we'll work through with states and territories hospital funding in the usual way. We increased the funding this year. Billion dollars of additional funding this year compared with last year.
PETERSON: You touched on the GST before. Roger Cook, Rita Saffiotti recently flew over to Canberra on behalf of WA. Were they able to convince you and Jim Chalmers not to touch WA's fair share of the GST?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's a pretty quick meeting because our position's been very clear for a long period of time. This is my 38th visit to WA. As Prime Minister, I deliver commitments that I give and that was one of the commitments.
PETERSON: All right. It's lock solid. You heard it here with the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. The COP31 Summit, we're not going to host it anymore? It sounds like you're walking away from it?
PRIME MINISTER: No. What we're trying to do is to get an outcome. And we're concerned about climate change, it needs global action. And if there is no agreement between Australia and Türkiye, then it goes to Bonn in Germany, and Germany isn't really keen on that. The world is asking that we try to resolve this issue. So, we're working it through. This is a joint bid between Australia and the Pacific, and we'll work through those issues over the next couple of days. We want to work towards a win-win situation, and we're negotiating that through.
PETERSON: The Police Federation saying there isn't enough time to plan for the gathering. Are you also just sensing a little bit of a shift maybe in voter sentiment about the cost of hosting this event during a cost of living crisis?
PRIME MINISTER: No, of course, when you have an event, be it the Olympic Games in Brisbane or major events, we've hosted COAG here in Perth, we have Gather Round in Adelaide. Big events cost money, but they also bring money, because they bring people to places that creates jobs and creates economic activity and advertises those cities wherever they're held to the entire world as well. So, the Sydney Olympics has certainly put Sydney on the map. We're on the map beforehand, but it was a big deal and very positive. I think Brisbane will benefit from hosting the Olympics as well. And were there to be a major conference in Adelaide, that would be a benefit. They rather like their Gather Round –
PETERSON: They do.
PRIME MINISTER: That they have there. That brings a lot of people in, that requires a lot of work and there's a cost associated. But there's also a benefit.
PETERSON: We’ve also got, as you and I have been talking Prime Minister now for many, many years in all aspects, when you even came in as the Shadow Transport Minister when you first came in here and we met each other, we've always enjoyed our rugby league rivalry. And I noticed that while you were in Busselton just a couple of days ago now, you managed to find a Rabbitoh’s fan with a Rabbitoh’s towel. So, how about Prime Minister, if you lean down onto that chair there –
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, here we go.
PETERSON: You might find something there for you. How about Round One, 2027 –
PRIME MINISTER: The Perth Bears?
PETERSON: The Perth Bears’ first game, and who knows where it ends up. It could be here against the Rabbitohs of all teams, Souths and Norths if you like.
PRIME MINISTER: Souths and Norths.
PETERSON: If it worked into your diary, there's an invitation there from Mal Meninga as well and Anthony De Ceglie inviting you to Round One 2027 Perth Bears.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, that is awesome. Well, Mal Meninga is a great Australian, A former coach of the Prime Minister's 13 versus PNG, and he'll do a great job. And I think it's fantastic that the Perth Bears are up and running. I think it will be, It will be great for people like yourself. You'll be there every home game.
PETERSON: Of course I will be.
PRIME MINISTER: But it will be terrific. One of my best mates is a fellow South Sydney tragic, Clayton, how you going? If you're out there at Freo. He is so excited by this and it's good for the old, you know, it's been a long time since 1921,1922. The Golden Era Club.
PETERSON: The Rabbitohs and the Bears have got a very good rivalry as I said it's the old souths versus norths rivalry.
PRIME MINISTER: We do. Well, they had, the Bears had a fantastic team in the late ‘80s with Gary Larson and Florimo, Jason Taylor –
PETERSON: Billy Moore.
PRIME MINISTER: Billy and great players, and they weren't able to jag a premiership. We gave them Mario Fenneck. That didn't help get them across the line. They were sort of, they didn't make a grand final. They made a couple of finals in a row, so ran third. But it'll be fantastic for WA and it's a good thing because it will bring people to WA for the home games. I know I've been to a Souths game here that was held. I think we played the Warriors and on a day in which it would better for us to bring swimming togs. I don't know if you remember. It was underwater. It was unbelievable. And that brings heaps of people. And they'll come of course, if you're going to come to WA, unless you're someone like me, although I'm here for four days this time. Normally they'll come for a week. They won't come for just, just the game and fly back. And that’s a great thing.
PETERSON: It is. Prime Minister, we appreciate you coming into the studio today and enjoy the rest of your visit here to Western Australia.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you so much. And go the Bears except for when they play the Rabbitohs that is.