MICHAEL ROWLAND, HOST: PM, good morning.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Michael.
ROWLAND: Overnight, we've seen the death toll rise in that Hamas-Israel conflict. Some truly horrific scenes on the streets of cities in southern Israel. Israel vowing a deadly response. Are you worried we're about to see this conflict escalate to truly unthinkable levels?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, this already I think, has been quite unthinkable. More than a thousand Hamas fighters travelling into southern Israel with indiscriminate killing of civilians and citizens, with the capturing of people and taking them to Gaza, and there are different figures about how many people have been subject to be taken hostage, effectively as human hostages. And a real concern, of course, in Israeli response. As you would expect, Israel has a right to defend itself. But you will see, you've already seen horrific numbers, so more than six hundred Israelis killed in the initial action by Hamas and hundreds of people killed in Gaza as well. This is of real concern, but Hamas bear the responsibility for this. Of course, this was a shock attack that was obviously very well planned and I think has shocked the world. The extent to which we haven't seen for fifty years, since the Yom Kippur War.
ROWLAND: Do you have any information about Australians possibly caught up in the conflict?
PRIME MINISTER: We are working on a twenty-four hours basis, our Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials. Penny Wong, our Foreign Minister, spoke to the Israeli Foreign Minister last night. I spoke to the Israeli Ambassador to Australia yesterday. We are in constant contact between Australian officials and Israeli officials. We don't have any further information to announce at this point in time. But obviously we are concerned, as is the whole world. This is a place where citizens of the world do gather. We have a number, Michael, 1300 555 135 that people can ring if they're concerned about friends or relatives there who were visiting the region. That is a number where officials will take calls and will follow up. But this is causing a great deal of distress, and that is understandable.
ROWLAND: Penny Wong is also urging all parties to exercise restraint when it comes to protecting civilian lives. Do you echo that plea?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course civilians shouldn't be targeted in this, and that is what is so horrific about Hamas's indiscriminate actions that took place. There were more than twenty towns and villages, Kibbutzs, that were raided here by Hamas with indiscriminate killing just in order to create carnage. And it was quite an extraordinary attack and reprehensible. It shocked the world and it should be and has been rightly condemned by the world.
ROWLAND: Okay, let's turn to the Voice. Prime Minister, we're now well and truly into the last week of campaigning. Another poll this morning suggests the referendum is destined to fail. Former Labor strategist and noted pollster Kos Samaras has gone as far this morning as declaring, in his words, ‘it's over, it's done’. Is it?
PRIME MINISTER: Not at all. It's only done when people cast their ballots. And what this proposition is, is a very clear and simple proposition. Just two things, recognition of the first Australians in our nation's constitution and secondly, then the form of recognition that has been asked for is for a non-binding advisory committee. Nothing to fear here, no threat to anyone, everything to gain. An advisory committee so we can listen to Indigenous Australians about matters that affect them, so that we'll get better results. Because we know that when Indigenous Australians are consulted, when they do have that agency and involvement, you do get better outcomes. You also get more efficiency and you get something else as well, you get responsibility for the outcomes. This is about doing things with Indigenous Australians rather than either to them or for them, as has happened for one hundred and twenty-two years.
ROWLAND: That's your argument, that's the argument of Indigenous leaders behind the Statement from the Heart. But again, looking at those polls, why do you think Australians simply aren't buying what you're selling?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we'll wait and see when they cast their vote. I'm not getting ahead of the Australian people. I know there's some arrogance has crept into the No side campaign, but it's a campaign based upon fear and it's similar to the sort of arguments that were put prior to the Apology to Stolen Generations. If people think about that and the impact that it had, there weren't any negative consequences for anyone. Similarly, the marriage equality campaign, we had fears that people were going to marry bridges and all sorts of nonsense about that as well. Guess what? Giving people some extra say and some rights that doesn't take away from anyone else is what is proposed here. Something to assist Indigenous Australians who represent less than four per cent of the population. But over eighty per cent of Indigenous Australians are asking for this, are strongly supportive of the Yes campaign, including every one of the Northern Land councils in the Northern Territory. Including every one of the fifty-six organisations that make up the Coalition of Peak Indigenous organisations that was established by the former coalition government.
ROWLAND: You talk about arrogance on the other side, Prime Minister. You've also expressed concern about the tone of the debate over the course of this campaign. With that in mind, was Ray Martin being helpful last week when he was tossing words like dinosaur and the other D word, which I won't use on breakfast TV, around when he was talking about one of the No campaign slogans?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Ray Martin was talking about the slogan that says, if you don't know, not find out or get information. It's an extraordinary campaign to run, that they have done -
ROWLAND: It's more Prime Minister, excuse the interruption, the words he was using, were they incendiary?
PRIME MINISTER: I use my own words, frankly.
ROWLAND: Would you use those words?
PRIME MINISTER: But what he was talking about, what he was talking, well, I use my words is what I do. And what he was talking about was a campaign that says, don't bother to find out information is a major slogan. And the only campaign that's using the word division in this referendum campaign is the No campaign that is seeking to use that term. There's nothing divisive about listening. There's nothing divisive about recognising Indigenous Australians in our constitution.
ROWLAND: Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks for joining us.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Michael.