STEVE GRAHAM, HOST: I do believe, Tanya, our Prime Minister just text Karl Stefanovic from the Today Show and said, ‘You can just wait there a minute, mate,’ because I need to talk to Tanya and Steve first.
TANYA WILKS, HOST: I think he did too. Morning PM.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: G’day. What could be more important than Triple M Newcastle?
WILKS: Hey, happy Father's Day ahead of Sunday. What are you up to?
PRIME MINISTER: My son will be with me in Canberra. And there is a tennis court at The Lodge, which is the only way I was going to live in a house with a tennis court was to become Prime Minister. Every year, I just ask him to spend some time with me. So that will be on the tennis court. So that’s the present that I've asked for.
GRAHAM: Does he let you win?
PRIME MINISTER: No, he doesn't let me win.
GRAHAM: Kids these days.
PRIME MINISTER: He’s got my genes. But fortunately, you know, I go okay. He’s got to work on his volleys.
GRAHAM: Spoken like a dad. Hey, a lot of people were excited to hear the free TAFE announcement.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, look it’s a big announcement, $1.1 billion, 180,000 fee-free TAFE places, that's just next year. That's a down payment on what we want to do to train Australians for jobs and for a good future for them. People who go to TAFE and get a trade end up either working for themselves or working in good paid jobs. And we want to make sure that Australians can build those jobs that are available and that Australians can get skills right around the country. And it's good that we're able to get that agreement with all of the states and territories.
WILKS: I think it's wonderful. We've talked for a few years, here on this show even, about there seemed to be, we went through that cycle of every kid has to stay in school and go to university, every kid has to have a university degree. And I feel like TAFE never went away and skills never went away as far as apprenticeships but you've swung the focus back on them, which I think is a great thing. It gives kids, and older people too who want to skill up and change, more options.
GRAHAM: Totally agree.
PRIME MINISTER: That's right. The former federal government ripped $3 billion out of TAFE, so TAFE’s under such enormous pressure right around the country. But people, you go into a TAFE as well, and what you see is a lot of older workers, sometimes people who are retired from their actual trade, just wanting to put something back, wanting to help young people or wanting to help others to retrain as well. That should be another focus as the nature of jobs change. We need to make sure that people's skills change as well.
GRAHAM: Did you, being at that skills summit, was there a standout for you, Albo, of a job or an emerging job industry? I mean, we always talk IT of course. But then there's probably a lot of lacking skills that people haven't thought there's a job to get now.
PRIME MINISTER: Look, the care sector is one that will continue to grow. When we think about childcare, aged care, we have an ageing population, so in all of those areas there's going to be a need for a larger workforce into the future. But also in some of the new jobs that are available as well with renewables, with maintenance of them, with new energy as well. It’s something that I've certainly discussed with the Electrical Trades Union, the jobs of the future that will be available. There'll be a massive increase in jobs in that sector. We need people with expertise in areas that are going to grow, like green hydrogen. I see good prospects for the Hunter region in these areas of getting new industries, new jobs, but we need to make sure that there are Australians who can fill them.
WILKS: Albo, how do you feel about the other end of the scale? Like when people get to retirement age, I was looking at some figures that said Australians, 15 per cent of over 65s are in the workforce at this point. You look at across the pond in New Zealand, 25 per cent of over 65s are still in the workforce. But you ask the over 65s, there's a great number of them that want to still work or have to work. So how do we move to allow that top bracket, like our grandparents, to stay, you know, vital and valid and being able to be contributing if they want to?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think one of the things that we're going to look at as well, and will be discussed today, is whether we need more flexibility for people to work additional hours, earn additional money, without affecting their pension, for example. Seems to me, that is something that I raised two years ago in a vision statement I did on the ageing of the population, and we need to value our older Australians wherever we can. And any practical measures such as that we’re certainly up for.
GRAHAM: Do I presume that you'll be sitting in front of the TV, or will you be at the game with the Sydney Roosters and Rabbitohs tonight, Albo?
PRIME MINISTER: I will be at the game. I'll be yelling loudly. This is the old rivals. And I’m certainly hopeful. But it would appear, after the result last night, I think we're going to be playing each other next week as well in a game that's more important, a knockout semi-final, so I don't know whether the players will be rested or what they'll do. But it'll always be willing, a Souths versus Easts game.
WILKS: Well, thanks for your time. We honestly did think you would bring the quarantine from seven to five in time for Damien Cook to take to the paddock tonight. But, I don't know, someone must be watching over your shoulder and you couldn’t pull the PM card.
GRAHAM: What’s wrong with you, mate?
PRIME MINISTER: No, well, I’ve gotta say, the idea, when I had COVID, the idea that you could play footy after five days, it’s a very strenuous, very strenuous thing.
GRAHAM: It’d literally be like running on the field sucking five bungers, wouldn’t it?
PRIME MINISTER: We want to keep Cookie nice and fit so he’s up for next week.
WILKS: Fair enough. Well thank you so much for your time. We look forward to talking to you again.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, guys.