JAYNE AZZOPARDI, HOST: Well, we are one week into 2025 and the Albanese Government has hit the ground running, making a pre-election cash splash to upgrade Queensland's Bruce Highway.
ALEX CULLEN, HOST: The $7.2 billion announcement comes as speculation grows about whether the PM will pull the trigger and call an early election. We're joined by Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, in Rockhampton right now. Prime Minister, good morning. Thank you so much for being with us. You look like you're on the campaign trail early. Will it be a March election?
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Look, we'll have an election sometime before May. But it's wonderful to be here in beautiful Rockhampton today. I'll be at the Rockhampton Ring Road just in a little while. That's a major part of the upgrade of the Bruce Highway. And I was very proud yesterday to be able to announce the $7.2 billion. We need to fix what is not just Queensland's but Australia's deadliest road. There were 41 deaths on the Bruce Highway last year. There's already been two this year. And what this investment will do is to bring it up to standard and produce safer roads. But also importantly as well, it's an artery for the freight and for the economy here in the most regional state of Queensland.
AZZOPARDI: I mean, it's hard to argue against this funding. The road badly needs it. But the timing, Prime Minister, does have a bit of an election and whiff about it.
PRIME MINISTER: We've put additional money into the Bruce Highway in our first two budgets. One of the things we did was put an additional $700 million into this section of the road here to build the Rockhampton Ring Road. I did the planning for it when I was the Minister more than a decade ago. But a hole hadn't been dug under the former Government because it was underfunded. What we did was put the money in the Budget. Now, there's hundreds of people at they're building the Ring Road which will result in a safer Bruce Highway.
CULLEN: PM, you have a problem now. You're funding 80 per cent of a Queensland infrastructure project and that's a departure from Labor's stated preference for a 50-50 split. You pay for half, the state government pays for the other half. So, now the other states naturally will want their slice. Will they get it or are you playing favourites?
PRIME MINISTER: No, what we're doing is addressing what was not fair. The Pacific Highway has been fully duplicated. The Hume Highway has been fully duplicated. There are three great highways down the east coast of Australia. The Bruce Highway has been neglected. When I became the Minister in the Rudd Government, we put in record funding. We increased the funding by more than five times what the Howard Government did in half the time. We built areas where I was yesterday, Cooroy to Curra, just around the Gympie area. We built and started work on Townsville Ring Road, on the Mackay Bypass, on all of these projects up and down the Bruce. But it was being neglected by the former Government. We're addressing that. This is Australia's most deadliest highway and that's why it requires that special attention.
AZZOPARDI: Prime Minister, on another issue now, we're hearing this morning that Ice Hockey Australia has cancelled a World Championships event that was meant to be held in Melbourne in April because of concerns that Israel's involvement in that could pose a safety risk. How have things got that bad in Australia that we can't host sporting events?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, of course we can. We've just hosted a wonderful cricket test series and you were just commenting in the sports section there about the upcoming Australian Open and Australia in tennis. Australia can host wonderful sporting events and we should. This is a decision made by Ice Hockey Australia. They're not a body, I've got to say, I'm familiar with and it's not a sport I'm familiar with, like most Australians, I think. But we should be opposed, and are, as a country to any form of racism, but particularly to antisemitism. And we are a tolerant country that have got to have respect for every person, regardless of their faith and regardless of their ethnicity, just to respect people for who they are. And this is an unfortunate decision.
CULLEN: PM it just keeps happening, though, it really does. We saw another antisemitic incident in Sydney yesterday, spray painted across a car, hate speech. The Coalition says you've let it fester. How do you think you've handled this? Are you happy with how you've handled this issue?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have taken action. We've appointed the first Envoy on Antisemitism, Jilian Segal, who's doing a terrific job. We have changed legislation, including introducing legislation for anti-doxxing. We saw that occur where the targeting of cultural performers like Deborah Conway, because they happen to be Jewish, we have made that a crime. And that was legislation that was opposed by the Coalition. We have put additional funding into security measures to support the Jewish community in response to the requests that we've received. We have, as well, banned hate symbols such as Nazi flags and etc, something that hadn't been done before. We're addressing in every single way possible these issues because we understand that it is very hurtful for the Jewish community. And at its worst, what we've seen is significant crimes developed, which is why we've stood up a special operation jointly between the Australian Federal Police, ASIO, the National Security Agency, and state police authorities as well to make sure that we get that coordination so that we can track down anyone committing a crime when it comes to hate-based crime and take action and prosecute them.
AZZOPARDI: Prime Minister, another few quick issues we want want to get your thoughts on. Firstly, international politics. Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announcing his resignation. Are you sad to see him go?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I wish Justin well. Justin Trudeau has had a good relationship with Australia under both my Government and the former Coalition Government. Australia and Canada partners. We're both part of Five Eyes, the international security arrangement that are in place along with the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Justin Trudeau, I regard as a friend and I wish him well. He has served Canada well for a long period of time as a long-term Prime Minister there in Canada.
CULLEN: Prime Minister, you are the leader of the nation and I want to ask you this very, very important question. There's been fierce online debate about beachgoers arriving at the beach early and using their cabanas to reserve their spots. So, essentially setting up the cabana, going away, leaving the beach and then coming back and coming back later in the day. So, you're reserving your spot, basically. Where do you sit, Prime Minister, on this burning question that is today dividing the nation?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's not on.
AZZOPARDI: It's un-Australian.
CULLEN: It's un-Australian. Thank you, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: One of the great things about Australia, unlike some parts of the world, you go and you got to pay to go to the beach. Here, everyone owns the beach. Everyone. And it's a place where every Australian is equal. And that's a breach of that principle, really, to think that you can reserve a little spot as just yours.
AZZOPARDI: Might require some legislation. Well, maybe, Prime Minister, you would be happy to share Kirribilli with us. I'll set my cabana out the front there.
PRIME MINISTER: There's no beach there.
AZZOPARDI: But it's got a great view.
PRIME MINISTER: And they're certainly is not at The Lodge, which is where I spend most of my time. Maybe I could attach it to some of my other obsessions, which is fruit in beer. I mean, tomorrow you should survey your listeners. I just think fruit in beer is a bit wrong.
AZZOPARDI: Okay.
PRIME MINISTER: I know it's very controversial.
CULLEN: Definitely controversial.
AZZOPARDI: Maybe you need a bigger tax.
PRIME MINISTER: Controversial in my electorate. That's a controversial call.
AZZOPARDI: Tax more of it.
CULLEN: Well done.
AZZOPARDI: We have to let you go now, PM.
CULLEN: Good on you, PM. I'm glad you said no to that reserving the space on the beach. You have spoken and we are listening. Thank you very much for your time, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: I didn't see that question coming. I've got to say, on the Today Show, but we'll wait and see the reaction. No doubt there'll be some horror at my declaration there.
AZZOPARDI: But you've taken a stand, Prime Minister. Australia likes a leader who takes a stand.
CULLEN: Exactly right. It's a fierce online debate, at least.
AZZOPARDI: Thank you.
CULLEN: Thank you, Prime Minister.