LUKE FORREST, HOST: Now, Brookie, we have a very special guest on the line, if not the biggest guest we've had on the show. It is the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese. How are you, Albo?
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. I am very well. Greetings from beautiful Rockhampton this morning. The Fitzroy River was shining this morning. I've got to say, it was just lovely here.
JAYNE AZZOPARDI, HOST: Well, we are one week into 2025 and the Albanese Government has hit the ground running, making a pre-election cash splash to upgrade Queensland's Bruce Highway.
ALEX CULLEN, HOST: The $7.2 billion announcement comes as speculation grows about whether the PM will pull the trigger and call an early election. We're joined by Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, in Rockhampton right now. Prime Minister, good morning. Thank you so much for being with us. You look like you're on the campaign trail early. Will it be a March election?
MONIQUE WRIGHT, HOST: Well, to federal politics now. And the Coalition says that Australians will struggle with the cost of living crisis until at least 2030. The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese joins us now live this morning from Queensland. Good to see you Albo. Thanks for being with us.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning from beautiful Rockhampton.
BERN YOUNG, HOST: If you could give the Bruce Highway a rating out of five, I wonder what it would be from your point of view. Have you driven it lately? Maybe you had a break over Christmas and New Year and drove part of it, a stretch of it. Currently, the Bruce Highway doesn't score even three stars out of five officially. The Federal Government today has announced a record $7.2 billion that they're prepared to spend, $9 billion in total so that it can get to this minimum rating of three stars.
SHANE DOHERTY, HOST: As you've heard, the Prime Minister's announced a massive $7.2 billion to fix the Bruce Highway. That's a 7.2 with nine zeros after it, for the entire 1,673 kilometres of highway from Brisbane to Cairns – or by my calculations, $4.3 million per kilometre. And I'm pleased to say the Prime Minister joins us on 4BC Summer Drive. Prime Minister, we know the what, can you tell us the when?
EMILY MAWSON, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR CAPRICORNIA: Well, thank you all for having us here again today. It's so great to be back here at the Urgent Care Clinic here in Rockhampton with the Prime Minister and with Senator Green. You know, the Urgent Care Clinic here delivers such crucial services to Rockhampton and takes much needed pressure off of our emergency systems.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning everyone, and I look forward to being optimistic in 2025 about building Australia's future. We're here today for a very significant announcement. Before you hear from political representatives I want to introduce you to Wayne Sachs. Wayne Sachs is an Ambo who came to see me way back in 2009, in February 2009, in Parliament House to talk to me firsthand about his experience of attending accidents here on the Bruce Highway. Accidents which all too often resulted in fatalities or in serious injuries.
Queenslanders deserve a long term plan for essential infrastructure, and the Albanese Government is delivering that certainty as we build Australia’s future.
The Albanese Government will provide an additional $7.2 billion to upgrade and fix the Bruce Highway in Queensland, to bring it up to a minimum three-star safety rating.
This historic funding is the single largest investment ever into the Bruce Highway, and brings the Australian Government’s total outlay for the 1,673 km road to more than $17 billion.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, I do want to thank all of the volunteers and workers who've been showing us around this control centre here this morning who are doing extraordinary work. At the worst of times Australians show the best of their character, and we've seen that on full display here this morning. Whether they be local volunteers, whether they be professional firefighting services, or whether they be people who've come from interstate - Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Tasmania, South Australia - in order to lend a helping hand.
The Albanese Labor Government is activating financial support for Victorians directly affected by bushfires burning in and around the Grampians National Park and Macedon Ranges – through the Disaster Recovery Allowance.
The Disaster Recovery Allowance provides up to 13 weeks of income support for workers and sole traders who have experienced loss of income as a result of recent bushfires in the Rural City of Ararat, Shire of Macedon Ranges, Shire of Northern Grampians and Shire of Southern Grampians.