EDWINA BARTHOLOMEW, HOST: The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, joins us live now from the Woodford Folk Festival where he slept in a shipping container overnight, we look forward to hearing more about that. Thank you so much for joining us this morning, Prime Minister.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning.
BARTHOLOMEW: Let's start with the model you're going to take to the Australian people. Yesterday you released some detail and that of course it will happen this year, by the time the festival happens again next year. That it will be a simple yes or no, but then Parliament will decide on the detail of that legislation. Do you think we want more detail before the referendum goes ahead?
PRIME MINISTER: Well the important thing here is there are two changes, essentially, we are asking the Australian people to agree with. One is that we recognise that our history goes back 60,000 years, we recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our Constitution. Just about every country in the world does that. It recognises the fullness of our history and it should be a source of pride for Australia. The second is that we recognise a Voice to Parliament. That's a pretty simple proposition, and it is subject to the legislation of the Parliament. It's not above the Parliament, it's not beside the Parliament. It's just a matter of good manners that where issues affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their education, their health, their housing, their incarceration rates and justice issues, we should consult them. We know that there is a massive gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in all of those issues. And we know that, up to now, what has been tried has not worked. That when you try to impose solutions it's far less effective than if you actually engage with people as to what the solutions are. And that's the simple proposition that will be put to the Australian people.
BARTHOLOMEW: Linda Burney had a great analogy, she said it's like saying yes or no to wanting a bridge over Sydney Harbour, but then Parliament deciding on how many lanes that will be. But will we hear that kind of detail before the referendum goes through?
PRIME MINISTER: That's right, but the Voice will be subject to legislative change over a period of time because it doesn't usurp, it's not above the Parliament. The Parliament remains primary, that's the whole point here. And the idea here as well is that I don't want it to be the government's proposal, I want it to be the Australian people's proposal. I want the Australian people to own this change. And it's a real opportunity for national unity, just as, way back in 1967, we recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were indeed entitled to citizenship and to rights in this country, and the Australian people overwhelmingly voted for that. This change is simply one that will give them a voice, will mean that they're consulted. And we know that when we do that on issues like Indigenous rangers, when we have justice conferencing that has worked in parts of regional New South Wales, we know that when there is that sense of ownership over the policies which are put in place, then you have far more effective outcomes and that, at the end of the day, is what we are trying to achieve.
MARK BERETTA, HOST: Prime Minister, just to change topic, the United States is putting restrictions on visitors from China after their devastating COVID outbreaks. Japan, India, Italy as well, all the first to say Chinese nationals will be tested on arrival. What are we thinking from Australia's point of view? Will Australia do the same?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, we'll continue to monitor the situation there, as we do around the world, as we do here, indeed, and we'll respond in accordance with health advice. But at this point in time, there has been no change to the travel advice between China and Australia.
BARTHOLOMEW: Prime Minister, the government has cases against China with the World Trade Organisation over the blockage of Australian exports, we saw that very successful trip from the Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, in the last couple of weeks. It's been reported that those cases will be dropped when the Trade Minister goes to Beijing. Can you confirm that trip is happening and potentially if you're planning a trip too, in 2023?
PRIME MINISTER: Well what my government has done is to re-engage. We had no contact between any government minister and any Chinese Government minister during the last term of Parliament. And China is, of course, our major trading partner. A whole lot of jobs are dependent on that economic relationship. So what I've said is we will cooperate with China where we can, we will disagree where we must and we will engage in our national interest, and that is what we're doing. I met with President Xi during the G20 meeting, we've had Penny Wong's visit to Beijing, there have been meetings between our respective defence ministers. I expect there will be a meeting between our trade ministers, we'll wait and see what comes out of that. But we enter into all of these dialogues with goodwill, I think there's been very constructive engagement and certainly the meeting that I had with President Xi was very positive, and we'll wait and see in regards to a visit by myself. There are none planned at the moment. I am planning to go, not quite that far, to Papa New Guinea for the visit that got put off because of COVID just a few weeks ago, but I'm planning to go there in a couple of weeks and I'm looking forward to that.
BERETTA: OK, Prime Minister, let's talk about some other deals. It's reported mining companies will be compensated by the Government for the price cap on coal. Now is that right, are you about you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars? And can you explain that for us?
PRIME MINISTER: No, those reports are just that, they are reports. I notice there's no government ministers quoted, there's not even the company quoted at all. What we have said is that where the price of production is more than the cap, then there will be some support offered. In Queensland's case, which is what the report's about, there's only one power station, Gladstone. We expect that it will be nothing like the sort of figures that I've seen in the newspaper. But they, of course, are the subject of commercial discussions and they'll continue, obviously, because we have a cap on coal that have been imposed by state governments of $125 per tonne. Where the costs of production are more than that, going to the power stations, then there will be some level of compensation.
BARTHOLOMEW: So, Prime Minister, are you ruling out a $450 million payment to Rio Tinto and its partners?
PRIME MINISTER: I have no idea where that figure came from. I have no idea, the journalist asked us a much higher figure even than that, apparently, to my office.
BARTHOLOMEW: We will take that as a no for now. It's a very happy new year coming up for you, your first in Kirribilli House. Have you been receiving an undue number of phone calls and text messages from friends you haven't seen for a while and relatives who are hoping to join you for the fireworks, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I've been pretty busy and just concentrating on work. I gave a major speech here yesterday, I'm doing another forum here this morning with Karen Middleton, a Q&A session here, and I have some more events planned tomorrow. So that's been my focus, I haven't focused yet on New Year's Eve. I do hope that it's a nice day, wherever people are spending it, or a nice night more importantly. And it is an opportunity, of course, to reflect on the year that's been but also of course those New Year resolutions, some of which will be kept, some of which won't, going into 2023. But yesterday's speech was about reflecting on where we've been and our achievements as a government. We've only been in office for seven months and seven days yesterday, so eight days today, and we have done a fair bit of our agenda that we promised at the election. One of the things I want to do is to restore faith in politics.
BARTHOLOMEW: Well, Anthony Albanese, we'll see you at 6 o'clock at Kirribilli House, we'll bring a plate, we really appreciate the invitation and thank you for joining us this morning. Enjoy the rest of the festival.
PRIME MINISTER: Good on you, you said you'd keep that to ourselves!
BARTHOLOMEW: We're only bringing a few friends, just a dozen or so.
BERETTA: Yeah, we'll bring the deckchairs and the lamingtons, it's all good. Thanks Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Well Kochie and Nat will be on the phone as well.
BERETTA: Yeah, we travel as a team.
BARTHOLOMEW: We don't have to tell them. Thank you so much.
PRIME MINISTER: That's how you roll. See you.