SABRA LANE, HOST: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joins us now from Kirribilli. Good morning and welcome to the program.
PRIME MINISTER, ANTHONY ALBANESE: Good morning Sabra.
LANE: Some areas have had huge amounts of rain, a metre in 24 hours, dangerous flash flooding, people on rooftops needing to be rescued. Civic leaders want Defence help, will they get it?
PRIME MINISTER: They certainly will Sabra and we have the Australian Defence Force personnel on standby to assist with the recovery. I spoke to Senator Nita Green last night. She was there, quite distressed by what she was seeing in her local community. People have been devastated and of course, it's a very dangerous situation for many who are in very unprecedented floodwaters, as your expert there has said. The forecast, tragically, is predicting more rain still throughout today and the major flood warnings are in place for several communities which are already cut off or without power. There's the issue of fresh water supply that is of real concern. We have activated already financial support for residents directly impacted, as well as for local councils to assist in what will be a major cleanup.
LANE: So, Defence Force is ready to spring into action?
PRIME MINISTER: That is correct. And the Defence Force, it’s not just the people around Cairns city, it's gone to of course, the Tablelands and south to Tully, and up into Cape York as well. And of course, many of those communities will be very difficult to get to, which is why the ADF assets will be important in reaching those people and those communities.
LANE: We've already seen some pictures of the extraordinary damage. What's your intelligence on what will be required?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we will deliver, along with the Queensland Government under Steven Miles, whatever is necessary. The important thing at this point in time is to ensure that people are kept safe and that is of real concern. A number of people are isolated and have needed rescuing from their terrible circumstances. Just our thoughts go to all people in those communities at this very difficult time.
LANE: Christmas is going to be a struggle for them, but it's also going to be a struggle for many Australians this year, with cost of living pressures, has the Government started crafting new policies to help people with relief in 2024?
PRIME MINISTER: We are always looking at ways in which we can provide further cost of living relief, including getting advice from Treasury and Finance. Of course, we've already created some $23 billion of cost of living relief across health, including cheaper medicines, including Fee Free TAFE. We've strengthened paid parental leave. We've given increased support for single parents, energy bill relief, housing support. But we understand that so many people are doing it tough. Inflation affects the poor more than anyone else. It inversely affects people who can least afford to pay. And that is something we're very conscious of. That's why fighting inflation has been our main priority. And inflation is, of course, moderating. It's heading in the right direction, not as fast as we would like, but we’ll continue to provide cost of living support whilst taking pressure off inflation.
LANE: The United States Congress has finally passed crucial legislation needed for the AUKUS agreement to continue, allowing Australia to buy up to three nuclear powered submarines from America. Does it get easier from here, or are you working on contingencies, should there be a change of presidency next year and perhaps another Trump leadership, a man who's unconventional in his approach and doesn't value traditional alliances?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the relationship between Australia and the United States is not a relationship between just leaders or individuals. It's a relationship built on our common values and our view of the world. Two great democracies working together. And the fact that this received such extraordinary support from Democrats and Republicans in both the Congress and in the Senate. I spoke to people from across the political spectrum in the US, and it was a very significant victory to get this legislation for both pillar one and pillar two of AUKUS through the Congress just last week. We set ourselves the objective of getting that legislation carried this year, and we've achieved it. And it's a significant breakthrough, which now opens the pathway, not just for the purchase of nuclear propelled submarines but also for other assets as well.
LANE: To the point of that question though, could the deal survive a change in presidency back to Donald Trump? We know that he is unorthodox in his approach. On the weekend, he described immigrants as, ‘poisoning the blood of America.’ Would AUKUS survive another Trump presidency?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the election in the United States is a matter for the people of the United States, and we certainly will respect whatever decisions are made. But this is a relationship between nations, not just between two leaders. As good as the relationship that I have with President Biden is.
LANE: Does it mean, sorry, for example an even tighter alliance with America, and perhaps even approval for the current American request for Australia to send a warship to the Red Sea?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we will give consideration to that appropriately, in a considered way as we do. But this wasn't a request to be clear from the US Government to my Government. This was a general request to a range of nations for support there. Of course, our first priority is in our own region, and certainly the United States understands the important role that we're playing, including freedom of navigation and other issues in our region.
LANE: How worried are you about social cohesion domestically with anti-semitism and Islamophobia spirits unleashed by the Hamas-Israel conflict?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm very worried, and that's why my Government has provided support for both the Jewish community and the Muslim community and Palestinian communities as well for assistance. We know that there has been a rise in anti-semitism. I'm very concerned at some of the attacks that have occurred on businesses, taking what I think is a very unwise move of the BDS, Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions regime, that has targeted historically businesses in Israel, are now talking about targeting businesses because they're owned by people who happen to be Jewish. That is anti-semitic, very explicitly. It should be called out and it should be opposed, just as the attacks that have occurred on young women in particular, for happening to wear a hijab down the street in the suburbs of our cities is completely unacceptable as well. We have a great multicultural nation here and it's really important that some of the rhetoric that's occurred be dialled down. I know that many people in the Jewish community are fearful at the moment. It shouldn't be the case that people need to have protection around schools. People should be able to go about their lives respecting each other and being peaceful in the way that they engage. We're aware that some of the tensions mean that people are emotional, but it's very important that conflicts overseas do not create conflict and trauma here in Australia.
LANE: Prime Minister, as Australians tune out of politics and take a summer break, will you use the opportunity to find your mojo? I mean, the public perception has been that you've been off kilter since the referendum result and the Government, not having contingency plans following the High Court ruling, has been flailing. How will you regain your mojo?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we'll continue to examine ways of taking the pressure off Australians whilst not also adding to inflation. We'll continue to roll out our strengthening of Medicare that we're doing. We're opening Urgent Care Clinics in the next week as well, to reach 58. We'll continue to roll out our plan for a future made in Australia. We're continuing to act, as Chris Bowen has shown leadership on climate change in the global forum that was held last week. And in the last week, the AUKUS agreement shows that we're continuing to prioritise our national security issues.
LANE: You've just run through that, Prime Minister. How will you regain your mojo?
PRIME MINISTER: What we're doing is continuing to roll out our plan for a better future, our plan that we're elected with, our plan to turn around Australia's economy that we've done under very difficult circumstances.
LANE: Sorry to interrupt. Do you need fresh faces and fresh ideas?
PRIME MINISTER: We'll continue to come up with fresh ideas. I note that during 2023, whilst our opponents opposed our measures to provide support on cost of living, they haven't come up with a single proposal. They have nothing positive to offer. And that's why our positive plans will continue to roll out. You're continuing to see some of that benefit. Any Labor Prime Minister will always prioritise jobs.
LANE: You're going to shrug off the fact that your own personal approval rating has dipped?
PRIME MINISTER: Well during an inflation issue that has affected the entire globe, there was obviously going to be pressure on the economy. But what we've done is to create 700,000 new jobs since we came to office, we've continued to prioritise providing that support, $23 billion in cost of living support, while we found $50 billion in savings, turning around a $78 billion deficit into a $22 billion surplus. It is getting the big calls, right, that matter for this country and that is what we are doing.
LANE: Prime Minister, thanks for joining AM. Merry Christmas.
PRIME MINISTER: Merry Christmas to you Sabra.