LEON BYNER, HOST: It's my pleasure to welcome again, the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. Good morning.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Leon, good to be with you.
BYNER: And likewise, you must be pretty happy with yourself because people are liking what you're doing, your approval rating is very good.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have hit the ground running as a new government. And we're determined to deliver on the commitments that we made prior to the election. I believe people want a better form of politics, they want the government to just get on with the business of governing. They want less politics and conflict, and more getting things done. And that's what my government has been focused on in our first two and a bit months. And that's what we'll continue to focus on going forward.
BYNER: We read in here this morning that the ACCC report on gas has some alarming findings on shortages in the system. How quickly can the government intervene on this and what might you do?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it takes a while to intervene. There is a process that's been established under the legislation that was brought in by the former government. But we want to make sure going forward that we particularly look at the areas of gas that aren't contracted and ensure that supplies can be maintained. This is important for households but it's also important for our manufacturing capacity in this country. So we'll be making further announcements in coming days and indeed, just this morning, Madeline King, our Resources Cabinet Minister, will be out there talking about the steps that we need to take, but rest assured we'll make whatever steps are necessary. We've been talking with the companies as well, making sure that they understand the need to ensure that supplies are there for people when they need it.
BYNER: Sure, because I'm just wondering if the Federal Government were to very gently encourage gas producers to keep more supply in Australia, would taxpayers and consumers be penalised?
PRIME MINISTER: No, what we need to do is to make sure that there is enough gas there for businesses and for individuals and households. We intervened of course with AEMO, the Australian Energy Market Operator, just a short time ago. We inherited these problems from the former government, we showed our capacity to manage these issues in consultation with state and territory governments and the sector itself. And we came through that process in spite of some of the predictions of those who sit opposite us. We came through without any blackouts, without any shortfalls, we did inherit an energy crisis and it's a direct result of the issues that we've had, where we had 22 different energy policies announced over a decade and then none of them actually landed. So all of these issues around gas, around energy supply, are all challenges that we have, but that they're ones that I believe we can meet. And we can meet with goodwill and appropriate consultation.
BYNER: Alright, now last week the Treasurer gave the State of the Economy address in Parliament. But the key takeout that we face is ongoing economic headwinds. Is it likely that we'll face further debt and deficit? And is that meaning that we might see deeper spending cuts in the next budget?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have inherited, of course, a trillion dollars of debt, and not much to show for it. Of course, whoever was in government during the pandemic would have been compelled to spend money in order to keep the economy going. The problem here is that there's no legacy from that spending. There was no major infrastructure investment. Indeed, there was an enormous amount of waste. And so we're going through the budget line by line, looking at the waste and rorts that are there, and we'll be having a budget in October, which will come down, which will look at ways in which we need to start repairing the budget. We can't ignore the fact that a trillion dollars of debt means, as the Treasurer warned, next year, down the track, the interest payments alone will be more than we spend in some critical areas such as education. And that's why we need to be very certain that every single dollar of taxpayers' money is going to projects and to programmes that really either improve people's lives directly, by lifting up their living standards, or that builds the capacity of the future economy in a way that we see future growth be higher, we see jobs be higher as well. And that's one of the reasons why we will be bringing people together in the Jobs and Skills Summit in a month's time.
BYNER: The latest Newspoll has your satisfaction rating at 61%, which, as you know, is a 40 year high for an incoming Prime Minister. What do you think voters have embraced you so far?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh look I'm not a commentator and polls will go up and down. I'm just doing the job that I was elected to do. And obviously, when you get some positive feedback, that's good. But it won't always be, so I'm very conscious about that. But I believe people are responding to the positive agenda that the new government is setting, I have an extraordinarily talented team, that's the other thing, that have come into Government, a mix of vast experience. People like Penny Wong, our Senate Leader, a great South Australian, and so many others from South Australia, Amanda Rishworth, Mark Butler, and Don Farrell are all Cabinet Ministers. They are all people of great capacity, who are making an enormous difference to the nation. I think that that experience as well, we have come into government, we're trying to get things done, put in place measures that we committed to prior to the election, and achieve outcomes for people. And where we need to tell people exactly what is going on, even if the message is difficult, like Jim Chalmers was last week, I think people respond to a bit of honesty and integrity in politics as well.
BYNER: You've made a referendum on altering the constitution to enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament as one of your key priorities. Do you concede that many people might not understand what it is you're proposing and why it's necessary?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's why we need to have the public debate there. It's been five years since the Uluru Statement from the Heart. And before that there was five years of consultation leading up to that. So this is a debate that's been going for a decade. And one of the reasons why I put out there a proposed question, what it might look like and what the measures of constitutional change might look like, as well is to promote that debate in a more concrete way. Put very simply, the proposition is this, that we recognise that First Nations people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, were here for 60,000 years. That should be recognised in our nation's birth certificate, that should be a great source of pride. And that is what the Constitution represents. And secondly, that where matters affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, they should be consulted. And that is what the Voice to Parliament is, a consultative mechanism, which to me is just nothing more and nothing less than good manners. It's about giving people respect. And what we know is that when you discuss issues with people who are directly affected by them, you will get better practical outcomes. This isn't just about symbolism. This is about how you get better outcomes. And we know that for 121 years, we've done things a different way, decisions made in Canberra and then relayed to people in what are often remote or regional communities. What we're saying here is, and Indigenous people have come forward with a very gracious in my view and generous offer, which is they just want to be consulted, and they want to have a voice, they want to have a say. So it's not a third chamber of Parliament, it's not any right of veto, all the democratic processes will still be there. But it is saying that where you have a policy that impacts people, then you should consult them, just like we consult women's organisations about issues that affect women, just like if you're having a policy that affects a particular ethnic community, you go down and you speak with them. It is good manners. It is the Australian way. And it is fair.
BYNER: Opposition Senator Jacinta Price is a Northern Territory Senator, an indigenous woman. She's, and you will know this, she doesn't believe the Voice will achieve anything and is maybe even divisive. Does she have a point?
PRIME MINISTER: I think with respect, when Senator Price has a look at what is proposed in terms of the wording, then the idea that this is anything other than a unifying moment for the nation is, I believe just doesn't stack up. I understand that there's enormous frustration there about the gap that is there. The gap, for example, in life expectancy which is some 20 years. There's a gap in educational outcomes, in health outcomes, for Indigenous people. All of those programmes can still occur, there is nothing in this that delays any practical measures. But what it simply says is that people should be given a voice. This is a process that has gone through extensive consultations with First Nations communities in the lead up to the Uluru Statement from the Heart being written. But, of course, we should also not expect just as the Italian community, or the people who live in Glenelg, or the people who have blond hair or dark hair, if you grab a group of people consisting of 1000s, then you will have some difference of opinion. I understand that, I respect that. I don't expect every person to agree. But quite clearly, this is what overwhelmingly, a majority of communities have come up with, the Uluru Statement from the Heart. And it's one I believe that will have the support of the Australian people. And it's one that can be a great lifting up of our nation, a unifying moment, which is what I want it to be. I'm reaching out to members of the Liberal Party and the National Party and minor parties. I've reached out to the church based organisations who make a difference, and are very positive about it. One of the things that strikes me Leon, is something that when I first came to Parliament would never have happened. We have an ecumenical church service to begin Parliament, every time Parliament convenes after an election. And what we had this year at the local Presbyterian Church, here in Canberra, was the minister stood up and began the service with an acknowledgement of country. Now that's very familiar, it happens at my local Catholic Church, in Marrickville in Sydney, the world has changed. We are far more respectful and we acknowledge the Indigenous people of this land as a matter of course. It happens to sporting events, as you know, and I think that the country is ready for this change which is all about respect.
BYNER: And just quickly on energy policy, gas reservation policy, are you for it for Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, we need to make sure that the gas, which is of course owned, as natural resources are all owned by Australians, that we have a situation whereby it's accessible for Australians, be it households or business. We need to of course, acknowledge as well existing contracts and those processes and we don't want to create a situation of sovereign risk. We want certainty there. But I'm very comfortable with working with businesses and suppliers to make sure that we can deliver that.
BYNER: Prime Minister thanks for coming on and I know you'll keep us in the loop.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, thanks very much, Leon.