The Prime Minister of Australia is Anthony Albanese and he’s with us on this Canberra Day public holiday. Prime Minister, thanks for making time on ABC Canberra Breakfast.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good to be here. And it was an absolutely stunning morning by the lake. I was there with the Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, and with Jodie and we took Toto for a walk along the lakefront there. It was just stunning watching the balloons. And what an amazing setting for Canberra.
SHIRLEY: Along with thousands of others. And dogs, I’m guessing, too. It’s a pretty popular place to take the four legged friends.
PRIME MINISTER: Indeed, there were quite a few. But they were all very friendly with each other. Very good.
SHIRLEY: It is the best that Canberra has to offer, as locals know, on a morning like today. I mean, what is a typical weekend in Canberra for you, given you have pledged and continue to live here full-time now?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, last weekend, over the last couple of days, of course, it was a stunning day and stunning weekend. My son, Nathan, was down in Canberra as well. So, we played tennis. We took advantage of the tennis court that’s here at The Lodge. And we went for a couple of nice walks and had a quiet weekend. I had a really busy week last week hosting the ASEAN leaders from all over Southeast Asia were in Melbourne. And so, the weekend before, of course, was the Dunkley by-election. So, it was quite nice to have just a weekend at home with not much on. It’s a great place to spend a weekend. And the thing I find about Canberra is when I walk around, as I did this morning, people are incredibly friendly. They just say hi. They expect to see the Prime Minister in Canberra, I think, over a weekend. It’s just a lovely place and the weather at the moment is, of course, fabulous.
SHIRLEY: It’s something that a lot of locals that are born and bred here know, obviously. From your perspective, being a Sydney-sider, since you got into politics and maybe spent a bit more time in what I’ll call “the real Canberra” as opposed to the parliamentary bubble, why do you think it’s so maligned as a city nationally?
PRIME MINISTER: I think people who don’t come here and spend time don’t quite get that Canberra has so much to offer. It has, of course, the national institutions which are superb. The National Art Gallery, the Emily exhibition at the moment is absolutely superb. But all the other institutions that it has, from the National Museum to Questacon to the National Arboretum, to go for a walk around. It also has some of the best restaurants in Australia, I’ve got to say, and cheaper than Sydney or Melbourne prices for the same quality of food. Because it’s a planned city, it has the advantage of the village atmosphere of the little shops at Griffiths and Narrabundah and Ainslie, and Dickson. It’s all very well planned. It has, I think, just so much to offer. It has big sporting events held here, of course, as well. I’m looking forward to the Raiders playing my beloved Rabbitohs hose home in June, mind you, it’s June, 6pm, on a Sunday night, so we’re a bit chilly there at the stadium. But it does have so much to offer. And I think people, when they do spend more time here, as I have over the last three decades, but particularly as Prime Minister, you really get to see the wonderful walks as well. I particularly like going up Mount Ainslie, but Red Hill, there’s so many lovely walks around the lake as well.
SHIRLEY: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, our guest on this Canberra Day public holiday. And his commitment fortitude as a Rabbitohs supporter will be tested in that June clash between the Raiders and the Rabbits. We’ll get to the stadium soon, actually, Prime Minister, because, as you know, that is a bone of contention in this region as far as having an appropriate stadium to host those sorts of events. Just with regard to Canberra and its reality versus perception, what role do you and other pollies who, frankly, most of whom are FIFO workers, what role do they have to change how it’s perceived and how it’s talked down, sometimes negatively?
PRIME MINISTER: I think just by talking about it, by talking about what it has to offer. I’ve been out kayaking on the lake as well, is just superb. And it doesn’t have the crowds of the east coast capitals in particular. And just talking about it, and I think it is disappointing from my perspective. I spend time all around the country, of course. Later today I’ll be in Launceston. Tomorrow, I’ll be in Katherine and Darwin, then in Melbourne on Thursday and Adelaide on Friday. So, it’s a busy existence. But having Canberra as the base of the Prime Minister is, I think, a huge bonus. And people, I find from talking to colleagues as well, people do really like Canberra.
SHIRLEY: They might not talk about that in their constituencies, though. They might, and I hear it all the time, they often say Canberra this, Canberra that. And you know how the talk goes, Prime Minister. It can be used as nearly a kicking point, as if to say this region’s out of touch with the rest of the nation, I suppose.
PRIME MINISTER: It is certainly, I think, particularly don’t want to be too party political, but I think that there is a tendency from some when they’re trying to essentially criticise the public sector, what they do is they use Canberra as a euphemism for that. They talk about, ‘Oh, Canberra’. And the example of that, of course, that nonsense was during the Voice referendum, where they spoke about it being a voice from Canberra, where it was actually the opposite. The idea of a Voice is to empower local voices to send a message from regional and remote Australia for the First Nations people. But it becomes a shorthand. I think it’s really lazy, effectively, as well. But I do think it is important to talk up Canberra. I certainly do right around the country, not just when I’m in the nation’s capital. It is Australia’s largest inland city. It is such a liveable city. It has, I think, an education system that is at least as good, but some would argue, better than any in the country. And people I know, for example, people who’ve come here and have spent a bit of time here as FIFO workers, if you like, have decided to move their whole families here because of what it has to offer.
SHIRLEY: Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister of Australia, with us. A couple of texts here. Susan, reflecting, I guess, our last couple of minutes of discussion. ‘Can the politicians and media please stop referring to Canberra as the government? The people of Canberra only host the tent on the hill.’ Indeed, Susan. This text wants to know if Toto gets along with other dogs. Small dogs can often be yappy. Anna’s pleased you referenced Red Hill, Prime Minister. Appreciate some of your thoughts as well on the nation’s capital. You talked about, I guess, the Raiders playing South Sydney in what some would describe as a crumbling Bruce Stadium. And there has been quite a bit of discontent locally here about the standard of our main sports stadium. Will you, as a Government, like you have for Tasmania, look to provide significant funding and give significant funding to the old dame, which is Bruce Stadium, which needs an upgrade, if not a complete new rebuild?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, of course there are a range of proposals there. The move towards a stadium at Civic has been, I think, discounted. And the ACT Government is looking at either a rebuild or a new stadium in that precinct around Bruce.
SHIRLEY: Will you kick in cash to help that happen and actually make it a reality?
PRIME MINISTER: What we’ll do is we’ll give proper consideration. There’s this person called Katy Gallagher, Finance Minister. Katy would be very cross if I gave commitments without a submission and without a process.
SHIRLEY: You can cough once for yes and twice for no, if you like.
PRIME MINISTER: So, we will have that. Well, have a look at what we’ve done for Canberra already. More than half a billion dollars for the national institutions. Our support for Canberra light rail, where we’ve put in $350 million or thereabouts total. We have been a real contributor to the national capital. And I think that is entirely appropriate. I find it astonishing that the National Gallery has, of course, the magnificent artwork, Blue Pole sitting there, worth half a billion dollars, and they had buckets to collect water.
SHIRLEY: That leaky roof is no good.
PRIME MINISTER: It’s just, frankly, an indictment of the neglect which had occurred. So, we will give appropriate funding to the national capital as the national Government. And we’ll give proper consideration to all proposals, including for the sports stadium. We, of course, have announced that the Australian Institute of Sport will be staying here in Canberra. And I think that’s a good thing. I host people here in Canberra wherever possible, as well, the international visitors who come here, because I want them to see the national capital.
SHIRLEY: The other thing you mentioned was light rail. Stage one is used by a lot, from Gungahlin to Civic and along that stop route. It’s going to be an ACT election issue in October. The Opposition don’t want to build stage two. Obviously, the Labor and Greens Coalition here do. Will you provide significant funding to light rail stage two, something that’s been budgeted at a few billion dollars and won’t arrive until the 2030s, it would seem?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we are committed to building light rail stage two A is what we’ve committed to.
SHIRLEY: I’m talking to Woden, though, Prime Minister. The main game, really.
PRIME MINISTER: I understand that. Again, we make proper budget processes and give funding through our budgets, which we hand down, down every year. The last Budget put in an additional $125 million for light rail. Light rail has been a big success for Canberra. And I know that Andrew Barr is a very strong supporter of it and that’s important to get people around as the city grows.
SHIRLEY: So, beyond a consideration, is it your want, at least, to provide Federal money for light roll stage two to Woden at some point in the future?
PRIME MINISTER: It is always my want to support public transport. If you look at my record as Transport Minister in the Rudd and Gillard Governments. The Howard Government, a really easy figure to remember is $0 for any public transport project anywhere in the country. What I did was transform that and changed that formula so that we recognise the reality, which is that we need to fund not just roads, but we need to fund public transport as well. And that includes light rail.
SHIRLEY: One international issue, and many Canberrans are well aware of that, given the jobs that people do here. You will have noted that Sweden and Canada have now resumed funding for UNRWA, that is the agency providing support in Gaza having paused that support over concerns that some of the staff at that agency were involved in the 7 October attack. Has Australia considered or has it in fact resumed funding for the UNRWA as Sweden and Canada have?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we in fact had doubled funding for UNRWA to provide support for Palestinians in Gaza and the West bank.
SHIRLEY: You did hit the pause button, though, did you not?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, but we doubled funding. And the funding for this financial year was all delivered, more than $20 million. The funding that was paused was additional funding on top of that. But I note that our funding for this year double what the former Government had done. And we have made very clear statements about the humanitarian need of people in Gaza who are suffering terribly. The consequences of the action that’s taken place there should not impact on innocent civilians the way that it has. We’ve been very clear about that. And we continue to call for not just humanitarian support, and we’re giving consideration to the range of support that can be given, including through other forms as well, in terms of essential food and lifesaving delivery there.
SHIRLEY: So, will the Government restart that funding? Will it take off the pause button?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we are taking advice on what further support we can give. But we understand as well that part of the problem as well is getting access into Gaza. And we consistently have called for that access to be given. And we’re working with like-minded countries as well to make sure that that can occur.
SHIRLEY: Okay, Prime Minister, right back to the local and given, to conclude, I guess, your positive view of this region, the way you do now call it home, given you recently announced your engagement to your partner, is it the place to maybe get married long-term?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, certainly it is a good place for weddings. And I’m going to a wedding in a couple of weeks here in Canberra that will take place. The reception is at the National Portrait Gallery of friends, one of whom is not Canberra-based, coming to marry a Canberran.
SHIRLEY: Care to share?
PRIME MINISTER: I think that’s up to them to announce, rather than me. So, I do think it is obviously a great place for any event. But we’ll give consideration. I put a lot of thought into the proposal. We have been pretty busy. And we’re going to have a chat over Easter about timeframes and about possible venues and all of that. We have the planning to take place. And we’ll see what evolves from that. We’re trying to look for gaps in the diary, of course.
SHIRLEY: I know it gets busy for someone like yourself.
PRIME MINISTER: It is very busy for all of this year, I’ve got to say. There aren’t too many gaps there. So, as I said, this week, I’m in five states and territories just this week coming up. And we starting here Monday morning, a day trip down to Launceston today.
SHIRLEY: Well, all the best for the impending nuptials. Congratulations on the engagement to your partner, Jodie. And thank you for your time on ABC Canberra. I know you’ve got a bit on your plate.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much. And happy Canberra Day to all of the listeners.
SHIRLEY: Canberra resident, you might have heard of him, Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, who was on lake watching the balloons take off today, along with Chief Minister Andrew Barr and thousands others gathered, including dogs. Yes, Toto was in attendance, the Prime Minister confirmed this morning.
