KARL STEFANOVIC, HOST: It's been a whirlwind few days for Anthony Albanese, elected on Saturday night, sworn in as Prime Minister on Sunday, then straight on the plane to Tokyo to meet world leaders. He is back on our home soil now and joins us. Good morning, Prime Minister. On behalf of us here on the Today Show, and all our listeners, congratulations.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Karl. It's great to be back on the Today Show.
STEFANOVIC: It's been a little bit of time – a week or so.
PRIME MINISTER: With a different title.
STEFANOVIC: Very different. Different life. Can you talk us through the last five days? Wow.
PRIME MINISTER: It's been quite extraordinary. We had Saturday night, I had at my place. I'm here in Marrickville. I had a very small group of people there, three people from my office. Tim Gartrell, my chief, Liz, the head of my media operation, Katie Connelly, who was doing the strategy and I had Jodie, of course, was there. My son Nathan was the most nervous in the room.
STEFANOVIC: Wow.
PRIME MINISTER: And Penny Wong. I cooked dinner for people on Saturday night. People think that's pretty crazy.
STEFANOVIC: What did you cook?
PRIME MINISTER: People think that is crazy. I cooked pasta. It was simple. Pasta with a basic sort of Arrabbiata sauce just to get going. A bit of comfort food, I find. And then we had, it was clear that we had won. I received the phone call from Scott Morrison, conceding the election and we went to Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL. I was determined not to go to the big city hotels. It was good to do it at a local club. And then, of course, Monday we got sworn in. Monday morning at 9am because the Quad Leaders' meeting was so important that Australia be represented there. It was a great honour to represent Australia with President Biden, our host Prime Minister Kishida, and Prime Minister Modi. I was very warmly welcomed there.
STEFANOVIC: I will get to that in just a second. I want to take you back to Saturday night if we can. At some point, you do know that you've become the Prime Minister of the country. Someone says something or it's the call from Scott Morrison. What was that like when you know that everything you have worked towards your whole life becomes a reality?
PRIME MINISTER: It was quite an extraordinary moment and it was overwhelming. Paul Erickson was in the count room, my campaign director. They had a set-up in at the national campaign office. I deliberately didn't do that. I wanted to just spend some time at home. I was determined not to get ahead of myself. Over the last three years, we know that polls can be wrong. It was clear to me that, I thought during the campaign, I couldn't see how the Coalition could get to 76 seats. The question was what the outcome would be, though, whether we would be a majority Labor Government, which it appears likely that we will be. But it was clear to me that we would be in a position to form Government reasonably early on in the night. But we were awaiting those results. Always a bit of a rollercoaster, of course. Seats get allocated one way, and then another. But we know now that we will be in, I think, a very strong position to govern and to implement the agenda that we put forward. It was very emotional for me, Karl. It was an emotional thing about my journey in life, which, when you grow up the way that I did, with a single mum in public housing, the expectation on your career path is not to rise to the position of Prime Minister. But it does say a lot about our great country that people can have that opportunity. We did, I did have a couple of draft speeches, Karl. I had a shorter one and then a longer one. In the end, I sat on the lounge and I basically dictated the speech that I gave, not word for word, of course, but pretty close to it. I dictated with, Katie Connelly was actually sitting on the floor with a laptop, just typing it in. Because I wanted it to be my voice when I stood up at the RSL. I wanted it to be my voice that was out there. I hope that one of the tasks of being Prime Minister will be to stay authentic. The three years that I was Leader of the Labor Party from Opposition, I tried to make sure that I am who I am. As you know, Karl, we have known each other for a long period of time. I think that was important that it be my voice on Saturday night, and it was.
STEFANOVIC: Okay. You are 100 per cent right. I mean I just can't imagine the emotions there. Also, your mum looking down, I would imagine that would have been something you thought of as well.
PRIME MINISTER: Absolutely. Last night, Karl, when I touched down from Tokyo, yesterday was the 20th anniversary of my mum's death. I travelled last night out to the cemetery to see her and have a chat.
STEFANOVIC: Oh, man.
PRIME MINISTER: It was a big deal.
STEFANOVIC: Oh mate, thank you for sharing that. That is a big deal and those emotions would have been very…
PRIME MINISTER: It was a private moment. I went by myself. I hope that it gives people out there, whether they be single mums or people going through difficulties in life and their children, I hope that my journey does give people a bit of an uplift. It's not about me. No-one gets there, as I said on Saturday night, no-one gets there by themselves. You get there because people believe in you, because people provide you with support. The neighbours who cooked me meals when I was there as a school student. You know, looking after me. That sense of community that was there in Camperdown. The sense of feel that was there, on Saturday night when we came out of the house and my neighbours here in Marrickville, it was reasonably late, I'm not sure what time it was. By then around about 11PM or thereabouts. And it was like the whole neighbourhood were on the street, just cheering the change in direction for this country. And one of the things that I want to bring to change is not just policy change, but culture change. I want to change the way that politics operates in this country. I want it to be more inclusive. I want it to be more respectful.
STEFANOVIC: Look, I have got a little bit of time left with you and I'm going to utilise it in a very long way. So sorry for the delays for everyone out there. Here's a kid from Marrickville. You stand up, your named as Prime Minister, sworn in as Prime Minister in front of Jodie, your boy, Nathan. That journey alone is worth talking about at some other point. Then you get on a plane and this kid from Marrickville's on the world stage with Joe Biden. I don't know, do you get nervous? Are you worried about even slipping on the stairs coming down the plane? How does that all work for you? That is a mind warp of transitions.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's big deal. I think it's really helped the Government, I have got to say, to have hit the ground running. The world knows there's a change of Government in Australia. And whether it be our neighbours in the Indo-Pacific, or our friends in Europe, or other parts of the world, it's been incredibly well received, I have got to say. Whether it was Prime Minister Johnson, I had a chat with Justin Trudeau yesterday. We've had a chat with a range of world leaders. All of them have been welcoming. They have been very supportive of the message that we've sent out, that Australia will now join global action on climate change. I look forward to re-engaging. The next visit will be up to Indonesia. That will be important as well.
STEFANOVIC: The news is pressing very heavily over my shoulders. A couple of quick ones as Prime Minister. China is obviously an issue. They have already thrown shade on Japan in the last 24 hours. Is Penny Wong enough to stop Beijing signing a deal with 10 more Pacific nations potentially signing up?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, these are sovereign nations, of course. This has been well underway. The truth is that the Government dropped the ball. There was a submission last year, we know now, for increased aid, for example, to the Pacific from the Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that was rejected by the Government. It's extraordinary. It's very clear that China is seeking to extend its influence into what has been since the Second World War, the region of the world where Australia has been the security partner of choice. Penny Wong is on her way to Fiji. That is just the start of a re-engagement with the Pacific. I'll attend the Pacific Island Forum in coming weeks when it's held. It is scheduled for July at this point in time. It's important that we implement as well, we put forward a comprehensive policy on Pacific re-engagement at the election. We'll set about implementing that as a matter of urgency and reaching out to our Pacific Island friends and making sure that they know that Australia wishes to continue to be the security partner of choice, but also partners in dealing with their economic growth and with climate change.
STEFANOVIC: Would it surprise you if I got a message from your son, Nathan, saying, ‘Let's get on the cans at Kirribilli now that dad's got the keys’?
PRIME MINISTER: That's very possible, mate. That’s very possible.
STEFANOVIC: It didn't happen.
PRIME MINISTER: He's a good lad. He did have, he was a bit nervous on Saturday night. He had a couple of beers before we headed off to the RSL. The rest of us were being very responsible, it's got to be said, in spite of the pressure that was there on Saturday.
STEFANOVIC: Alright.
PRIME MINISTER: But he's a good lad. But I'm not sure I want, I’m not sure the world is ready for Karl and Nathan to get together on the cans together.
ALLISON LANGDON, HOST: It's not.
STEFANOVIC: You can't stop progress. Thanks, PM. All very best.