KIM NAPIER, HOST: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is on the northwest coast today where families in Latrobe have been crying out for more child care places. We'll chat about that and ask what the early read is on Burnie's Urgent Care Clinic. And what does the Foo Fighters record breaking weekend say about the future of regional Tasmania? Prime Minister, welcome back to Northern Tasmania.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Wonderful. I'm looking forward to being in Devonport today and also being there in Launceston. So, it'll be a good day with our two relatively new members, Jess and Anne. Anne of course, Anne Urquhart's very familiar as a Senator there, representing the northwest, but now in the seat of Braddon. And of course, Jess Teesdale's done a fantastic start to her work as a Member for Bass.
NAPIER: Well, before we go any further, remember this?
[AUDIO GRAB]
PRIME MINISTER: What you need is one of those wheels though, with the flap -
NAPIER: I wanted one.
PRIME MINISTER: Not a virtual one.
NAPIER: I wanted one.
PRIME MINISTER: I can do something about that.
NAPIER: Would you?
PRIME MINISTER: We don't interfere with the independence of the ABC. But surely the government can give a directive about a -
NAPIER: I trust you.
PRIME MINISTER: A wheel.
NAPIER: A chocolate wheel.
PRIME MINISTER: A chocolate wheel. That's what they're called -
NAPIER: That's what they're called.
PRIME MINISTER: I was trying to think. Yeah. Borrow one, surely, make it then available for school fetes on Saturdays. This is how you integrate to the community in the finest tradition of the ABC.
NAPIER: You're an ideas man.
PRIME MINISTER: Exactly.
NAPIER: That's what I'm sensing.
PRIME MINISTER: This is vision.
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NAPIER: What happened?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the vision's been delivered. I understand you got one there in the studio.
NAPIER: Yeah. Well, listen to this, right? Do you know what that's the sound of?
PRIME MINISTER: That is the sound of an effective chocolate wheel.
NAPIER: That's the sound of can-do people, Anthony Albanese. Thanks to the -
PRIME MINISTER: Go the Ulverstone Men's Shed.
NAPIER: Exactly. They stepped in. And thank you for making us that wheel. We'll be using that in a couple of weeks to give away tickets to the Red Hot Summer Tour.
PRIME MINISTER: How good is that?
NAPIER: Now you are on the coast. It's awesome, isn't it? I know you love your music. We'll get to the Foo Fighters being here in Tassie. But lets talk child care on the northwest coast. The funding announced last year for the temporary centre at Latrobe was a huge relief for the community. They worked tirelessly for months to secure that funding and make the centre happen. Should communities have to fight to secure what is for many, an essential service in what is a fast growing municipality?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it should of course be something that is in place everywhere. But what we're doing is, is making sure that child care is more affordable and accessible. And one of the things that we've done, of course, is to have that child care centre, which is open this week. It'll be open, be running until July when a permanent one opens. And Anne's fought very hard for funding for the temporary child care centre to make sure that kids, families and workers don't miss out there in that local community.
NAPIER: There are stats here, it's new data, actually, it's from the Productivity Commission. It says more than 61 per cent of Tasmanian parents left the workforce to care for their children because of a lack of child care options. There are centres in the state with wait lists in the hundreds and people putting their unborn children on waiting lists. Your government and the state government funding to build new child care centres across the state, is that going to be enough to address the issue?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we've put a billion dollars into the system for new child care infrastructure for builds where child care centres don't exist. So, that is making an enormous difference. And we've already done, money for places as varied as Bruny Island, St. Marys, Bothwell, Huonville, right around Tasmania what we're doing is making sure that that's delivered. The temporary centre there we funded in Latrobe, we funded $300,000 for that. But importantly, the average Tasmanian family has saved roughly about $9,000 on child care in the last three years. And that's because directly of our cheaper child care policies and where extending that to a Three Day Guarantee for subsidised child care. And that is a commitment that I made in December of 2024 that we took to the last election, and we've made sure that that policy then began on the 6th of January this year.
NAPIER: That's great for people that have placements. So, I'm wondering if you're a young family, not just in Latrobe but across the north of the state, struggling to juggle work and child care or maybe leaving work to care reassurance can you honestly give them?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that we're doing our best with that billion dollar fund, record funding for new child care centres as well as the funding for, the increased funding for the Three Day Guarantee for child care subsidies. So, we inherited a system that frankly was broken. We think that early learning is absolutely critical. One of the things that we did was to increase the pay of child care workers to because early educators are doing an enormous job. It's not just child minding. Human brain development, more than 90 per cent of it begins in the first five years. So, these early educators have skills, they're making a difference by having the retention of the workforce that's now occurring, it was leaving, that was one of the big problems that were there. And the 15 per cent wage increase that we've delivered into centres has made an enormous difference in retention as well as making sure we train more early educators. And I've been to TAFEs there in Tasmania where young women and men are getting trained to be early educators. And Free TAFE has made an enormous difference there as well.
NAPIER: Let's turn our attention to the Burnie Urgent Care Clinic that's just opened. How do you measure success in these clinics? Is it fewer ED presentations, shorter wait times or is it something else?
PRIME MINISTER: I'll tell you what, the success is measured by talking to people who visit them. They are so successful. More than 2 million visits already to Urgent Care Clinics. There's 124 now opened right around the country. And the one in Burnie will make an enormous difference. It means that if people have something that requires immediate attention but isn't life threatening, instead of waiting at the emergency department, watching while more urgent cases that are life threatening jump the queue, quite rightly, with the delay, people can get the care that they need when they need it with just their Medicare card. So, it is providing that free healthcare for urgent care whilst taking pressure off emergency departments and Urgent Care Clinics - the satisfaction rate for people who visit them is through the roof. People are surprised by just how good the service is because they can get that immediate care.
NAPIER: Okay, so plenty of focus on the northwest coast. Are you making any announcements today or is it just a recce?
PRIME MINISTER: It is having a look at what we're doing and delivering there, and I, as you know I'm a regular visitor to Tasmania. We did the health and hospital deal with Tasmania with the Premier, Premier Rockliff just a few weeks ago, that's going to deliver significant additional funding for Tasmania as well. And I must say that the negotiations with Premier Rockliff, he played a very constructive role. He was the Chair of the, basically State Premier's Group, CAF, the Council of Australian Federation and we got it done. And what that means is absolute certainty, $25 billion of additional funding for hospitals over the next five year agreement. And Tasmania in particular will get a benefit investing an additional $700 million into Tasmanian hospitals. And that is, of course, on top of the commitments that we have previously made, including for the hospital there in Launnie.
NAPIER: Now, I know you love your music, so we'll shift away from child care and health for a minute. I don't know if you're in town for the Foo Fighters. I do know your favourite song is Everlong. They played a gig in Launceston at York Park. It injected an estimated $7 million into the Northern Tasmanian economy. Launceston Airport recorded its busiest day in 95 years as a result. Are you seeing regional cities like ours as serious economic players?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, absolutely. And something like bringing the Fooeys to Launceston, what it does is as well open up future tourism and activity, because people who visit that beautiful city will go back having had that experience. So, I think events such as that can make an enormous difference, just as having AFL games have made an enormous difference as well.
NAPIER: Now, I don't want you to go away thinking this was just, you know, a standard ABC interview, so I want to share a text we've got: 'Albo, 'I dreamt about you last night. It was a very muddled dream about a suitcase, a big party and a baby.'
PRIME MINISTER: Okay. So, I'm not quite sure what to make of that, but I'll take it as something positive.
NAPIER: Well, it's customer service. If somebody sends a text, I need to pass it on right?
PRIME MINISTER: Absolutely.
NAPIER: All right. Thank you so much for your time and enjoy being on the northwest coast today.
PRIME MINISTER: Always delightful to chat and always wonderful to be in Northern Tasmania.
NAPIER: Thank you. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese there.