ALLISON LANGDON, HOST: Prime Minister, very good morning to you. Your first significant loss as a PM. How does it feel?
PRIME MINISTER: It was a Queensland victory. They were the best team. I was involved in some NRL diplomacy last night. I've got to say most of the Pacific leaders are Queensland supporters, Prime Minister Marape in particular was very passionate last night. About of course PNG and the nations of the Pacific are so passionate about their footy. I was watching it with the Prime Minister PNG, the Prime Minister of Samoa and other leaders. And they were shocked, some of them who hadn't seen Rugby League before in any scale, was shocked at the brutality of the game. But it was fantastic. It was a great game. Real hats off to both teams. Congrats to Queensland. That will stop Karl gloating. I'll just concede upfront. Avoid the sledges.
LANGDON: It makes an easier morning, I hope.
KARL STEFANOVIC, HOST: I'm not finished yet. I wanted to ask, do you feel like you've got off to bad start over there?
PRIME MINISTER: Just give her the tick. See, look, he can't help himself. There you go. I'm generous towards him.
LANGDON: That's it. That's it.
STEFANOVIC: What do I get back? Nothing.
LANGDON: Albo, mate, you're chatting to him for 10 minutes. I have him for 3.5 hours.
PRIME MINISTER: The Ben Hunt try at the end was a great way poor to the game to end, I think. It was a great atmosphere there with passionate Queenslanders.
LANGDON: Look very true. Before we talk about what you're doing over there in Fiji. If you're doing over there in Fiji. If you issues back home. Have you made a huge mistake stopping pandemic leave payments and the free RATs for pensioners?
PRIME MINISTER: We haven't. We haven't. What we inherited was a range of decisions from the former Government timetable that they worked out. Some of which we were in partnership with state and territory governments. We'll continue to take advice. We inherited those decisions and we inherited those decisions and we inherited a trillion dollars of debt. So, we'll continue to take advice and monitor what's going on. That's the position that the Government has.
STEFANOVIC: The AMA says this morning PM that your Government’s wilful neglected this ongoing and escalating crisis will result in catastrophic outcome for a significant number of Australians. What is your response to that?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, I am not going to engage in domestic politics from Fiji. But it's just a fact that we've made no decision to cut payments. There were measures that were in place that have been by the former Government with end dates to them. What my Government has done is to increase health funding by some $890 million.
LANGDON: Can I just go back to that. I'm a bit confused, sorry Prime Minister, I'm a bit confused about that. You're saying no decision has been made. Are you saying potentially these pandemic leave payments will continue?
PRIME MINISTER: No. These decisions were made by the former Government.
LANGDON: You're in power now, Prime Minister. No-one new what the situation was going to be come June 30.
PRIME MINISTER: That we didn't know that winter was coming? People did know that winter was coming. People did know that these were challenges that we had to deal with. What we have done is extend hospital funding by some $890 million to the states and territories. We'll continue to engage with state and territories. What we have done is to get out there and run and increase, ramp-up the advertising campaign to make sure that people can get their booster shots. We have lowered that so that everyone can get their fourth shot if they're above the age of 30. I got my shot on Tuesday before I headed here. We also have provided additional hospital funding for the states and territories. We'll continue to work with states and territories on the programs that are needed.
STEFANOVIC: Basically, I guess, as we go to air this morning are you open to keeping some of those programs and some of that assistance open if it's needed?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what we need to do is to work with state and territory governments. We'll take the health advice as well. There's been no rejection of any health advice by my government that we've received from the experts, from the AHPC. What we've done is to accept the advice, for example, on vaccinations and that's why we've made that change. I know people are talking about mandates. Mandates are not a decision by the Federal Government. They're a decision by state and territory governments based upon the advice that they receive. That's not something that we are responsible for. I know, in talking with the NSW Premier this week, there are mandates for example on public transport. The issue there is not everyone is observing those issues. We'll continue to take advice. And for what we're responsible for, as I said, we've added $890 million for additional funding and we have in accordance with the health advice made the vaccines available to more people. We'll continue to make masks available to people in aged care, in areas in which we're responsible. We'll continue to accept health advice as we go forward.
LANGDON: So, what you are responsible for is forcing people into seven days isolation if they contract COVID. So, if you are a casual worker, and I would like you to take a listen. She's casual worker. She works at Woolies. She cares for her daughter. She's isolating with COVID at home and she's scared.
STEFANOVIC: What would you say to the Prime Minister?
CASUAL WORKER: I just think, he should reconsider and see this is affecting so many people worse than me. I just think they need help.
LANGDON: Sorry I said she's looking after her daughter it's actually her sister. What do you say of that Prime Minister, the fact that here she is one of our most vulnerable and she's doing the right thing but not being looked after?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, it's a really difficult circumstance. I feel for her. The former government made the decision that this support would stop on the first of July. That was foreshadowed a long while in advance. We'll continue to address these issues based upon the health advice. Yes, people are going through a difficult period. This pandemic has thrown challenges at Australians. Australians have responded magnificently to those challenges. And my Government will continue to take the health advice and continue to take action based upon that advice.
STEFANOVIC: So, you are this morning saying that you're open to providing assistance to casual workers?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we'll continue to take the advice of the experts, Karl. I can't do more than that.
LANGDON: The health experts don't give you advice, do they, on providing welfare or payments to people, do they? They don't provide that kind of advice. They tell you whether or not they should wear masks and get vaccinated.
PRIME MINISTER: Of course, they provide advice as to what the rules and regulations are. Determined based upon the position that the pandemic is in. We know that we have this strain. It's having a real impact out there. And we'll continue to work as well with state and territory governments. This isn't something that the Federal Government does alone. What happened during the pandemic is that the Federal Government took responsibility for the rollout of the vaccine and for accessing the vaccine. And they didn't get enough vaccines early enough. That's the Federal Government that took responsibility for that. The other measures that were in place were largely done by state and territory governments. But we will continue to engage with them in a constructive way. I have spoken with state and territory premiers and chief ministers in the last week about a range of issues, whether it be face-to-face with Dominic Perrottet or whether it be by phone with other leaders. We'll continue to monitor what's necessary and we'll take what action is necessary.
STEFANOVIC: Will there be any Chinese bases on the Solomons?
PRIME MINISTER: No. I'm very confident that won't happen. I had a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Sogavare yesterday. And I sat with him at dinner last night. One of the things we need to do is build personal relations between Australia and our friends in the Pacific. To make sure that our interests, but also their interests, are protected. We need to be prepared to listen to what they have to say, be prepared to assist in their development. But also, be prepared to advocate, as my Government is, action on issues of concern to them. And the number one issue for them is, of course, climate change, because it's a threat to their very existence. And my Government's changed position on that has been very much welcomed by them.
LANGDON: It was a very nice hug we saw there from the leader from the Solomon Islands. Did you whisper in his ear, ‘How about you tear up the security deal with China’?
PRIME MINISTER: No, look, they're a sovereign nation. We've got to respect that. But what we need to do as well is make clear what Australia's interests are. And obviously, the interests of Australia would not be served by having a military base so close to where Australia is and so close to where Queensland is as well.
STEFANOVIC: PM, good to talk to you. Best of luck over the next couple of days. It is going to be a busy one over there.
LANGDON: Thank you Prime Minister.