TOM MCILROY, HOST: This is the Australian Politics Podcast. Well, Anthony Albanese, welcome to the podcast.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks for having me on.

TOM MCILROY: Great to have you with us in Melbourne. Thank you very much for taking the time. We're speaking on Friday morning. It's about 12 hours since news of the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor broke. Could I ask you for your response? And of course, the former prince denies the allegations against him. What's your reaction to the news?

Thanks so much, Correna, and thank you to all of you for a very warm welcome here, including a couple of people over here who have been Souths supporters for years, who I met on the way through.

So, I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we're meeting, and I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging.

I do acknowledge your federal president, Correna Haythorpe, and to give credit where credit's due, Correna is relentless.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can you comment about how was your visit tonight?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: It's a fantastic visit. I'm really proud to be here to support this local community and to show my support. Ramadan is a really important time, holy month, for the Islamic community and I'm pleased to offer support.

JOURNALIST: Any particular message to anyone specific?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks everyone for joining us, and thanks to the Premier for joining us, but more importantly, thanks for the collaboration where we're working well together, as we do with states and territories right around the country. And here in Victoria, at the beginning of last year, was one of the first states to sign up to full and fair funding for every public school, and that funding has started to flow.

Thank you so much.

I'm absolutely delighted to be here, and I want to acknowledge Matt Gregg and the local member, Gabriel Ng, for the extraordinary contribution that they're making already to the Australian Parliament.

I was here in Box Hill North on Election Day last May, less than a year ago, handing out for Gabriel, who has had an impact already and is a champion of this local community.

JASE HAWKINS, HOST: Albo’s in the house.

LAUREN PHILLIPS, HOST: Good morning, Albo.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good to be here, and I brought a muffin.

HAWKINS: Thanks for the muffin.

PHILLIPS: Yes, Jase this morning was saying, ‘Albo, if you're listening, I'd like a raspberry and white choc muffin’. And he's delivered.

PRIME MINISTER: Is this like cash for comment? Muffin for comment, or something like that?

HAMISH MACDONALD, HOST: First, though, we are going to take you straight to the Prime Minister this morning. There is mounting pressure on the Federal Government over the return of this cohort of women and children from Northern Syria, some of them, to here in Sydney. Overnight, the Home Affairs Minister confirms that this group has been issued with Australian passports. One of the women has had a Temporary Exclusion Order applied, which could delay her return for up to two years.

JACQUI FELGATE, HOST: Joining me on the line now is the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. Good afternoon.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon, Jacqui. Good to be able to chat with you again.

FELGATE: You are spending a bit of time in our neck of the woods this week.

SUZIE JONES, CEO OF LADY GOWRIE TASMANIA: Thank you. I'd like to welcome everyone, including the Prime Minister and Anne to our Lady Gowrie Gilbert Street, Latrobe service. We're very proud to stand this service up in just under three months as an interim service while we build a new state of the art service down the road. Worked closely with the Albanese Government, State Government and Council for the funding to stand up this service.

HOST: Hit Breakfast with Dan and Christie with Izzy this morning. And this bloke is the 31st Prime Minister of Australia. He's leading the country with energy, optimism. He's got the mind of a scholar, the body of granite. He's the total package. Mr. Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. How you going, mate?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: What a wonderful introduction. I might speak to you every morning, mate.