Radio interview - Triple M Perth

HOST: Welcome Prime Minister.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Wonderful to be back in this great state.

HOST: Yes, and I'm so I'm proud of you Xav, you haven't asked him whether he came on a Budget rent-a-bus or anything. That was the last time. Did you arrive in a Thrifty Prime Minister?

HOST: No, we're just on the same level. We're just chit chatting away. We've already stumbled into a bit of Hawthorn chat straight away.

PRIME MINISTER: We have big game Friday night.

HOST: And what did you just want to know how it's going to go according to Xav?

PRIME MINISTER: I want some insider knowledge.

HOST: There's a bit of rain around, and we like the rain Albo. We like the rain. I'm not going Friday night, saving my trip to Melbourne for grand final weekend. So that's how confident I am with how the Hawks are going to go through the final series.

HOST: Will you get a chance to get your eyes across it?

PRIME MINISTER: I certainly will and looking forward to it. My rugby league team, you know -

HOST: You're a rabbits man, aren't you?

PRIME MINISTER: I am, I am a Rabbitoh, and we're running 15th. 15th out of 17.

HOST: People here in WA will say, "what are you whinging about?" They've supported West Coast the last few years. They'll take 15th. But now, before we do have a bit of fun with you, Albo, you're in town. I've got a couple of young kids myself, one that is at a state school himself, and another one that will be joining a state school next year, who we call Albo, little Albie mate. There's been a significant announcement.

PRIME MINISTER: There's a cracker, and yesterday, we we're at a high school here at Mount Lawley to announce the deal to bring all funding up to the standard that was recommended by David Gonski all those years ago. So additional funding from the federal and state governments. With Roger Cook, the Premier, we want every student to have the best opportunity in life, to be successful regardless of what school they go to. So bringing all those standards up will just make an enormous difference. WA is the first state to sign on. They're really keen on making a difference. And that comes on top of yesterday as well. We were in a TAFE up at Joondalup, up having a look at Fee Free TAFE, where 500,000 people have got Fee Free TAFE. So get the training, get it for free and be assured of a secure job because they're areas of skill shortage.

HOST: So to dumb it down for me, standards up, school costs down?

PRIME MINISTER: Exactly, more dough.

HOST: And you can go to TAFE for free. You missed that bit. What are you going to chase up?

HOST: Well, I'm new to Airtasker. Albo, have you ever used Airtasker?

PRIME MINISTER: I haven't.

HOST: Can you imagine the Prime Minister like, "Gary's going to come..."

HOST: I get that right now you might have a handyman on dial. But I've discovered Airtasker. I'm not very handsy, so a door handle, 100 bucks. Toilet seat, 100 bucks. And wire meshing for a doing some gardening, a spreader, 100 bucks. I'm helping the economy.

PRIME MINISTER: Good on you, you're helping to create jobs and economic activity.

HOST: Smooth as, well moisturised. There's no way I can do it.

HOST: That's a very different tone to what they take with him at the down at the pub, "what are you doing, are you a man?"

HOST: "You can't drink beer."

PRIME MINISTER: Those hands are made to be wrapped around a Sherrin, not wrapped around a tool.

HOST: And Hawthorn supporters will say, "you didn't do that enough."

HOST: You're used to getting grilled with questions, but then they're normally about what you're trying to get across the desk, things like that. We've got a few of them coming up, before we get there though, you've got a full schedule. The wedding's being pushed back?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're too busy at this point in time.

HOST: I know, I know when I've got to switch off talking about my lovely wife, Em, and I'm in the sweet spot right now,

HOST: Look at you backpedalling.

HOST: She won't hear that either so she knows I'm playing the hard cards, but you've pushed it back?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we haven't pushed it back. We just haven't got our act together to organise it.

HOST: You've got to find space don't you?

PRIME MINISTER: We're pretty busy. I've been in in WA since Sunday, and later today I'll go to Melbourne, and then tomorrow to Canberra, it's a busy time.

HOST: What does a day off look like for you? Is there every day where you don't touch the email, don't get briefed on something that just one day?

PRIME MINISTER: Not really, to be frank. It's possible to have time off, but there wouldn't be a day where your phone doesn't ring and you don't have to engage. That's part of the job, but it's a great privilege to do it.

HOST: Yeah, I must admit that horrifies me. I just switched off Saturday. You couldn't get me. The country would have just fallen into it a heap if I was running it.

HOST: And I remember you saying that the one thing you miss. I'm sure there's other things you miss, but you thoroughly miss the opportunity for you and a mate to go to the Corner Bar and just have a beer without anyone annoying you.

PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, and well, because you've got to take, there's a reason why you have to have security in today's world. And I do, I do miss that, just being able to do things spontaneously as well, because you've got to give notice of, you know, in two hours I'm going here.

HOST: Spontaneous, how about we marry you tomorrow at the Scarborough Sports Club I can get you a private room, get you a private room for free.

HOST: Don't say it on air, mate.

PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's not private now, is it? You blew that mate.

HOST: You were in then, weren't you? If he hadn't announced it.

PRIME MINISTER: It was a show. I'm not quite sure how we get Jodie across. You know, there does need to be someone else there.

HOST: Okay we can do Skype we can do a bit of that these days.

HOST: She's Zooming in, here we go.

HOST: Yes, we need to get to a song Albo, because I want to chat a bit more Hawthorn with you, and we've got a quiz for you. We're doing the ultimate quiz night, and the winner of the quiz night gets four tickets to the 2024 AFL Grand Final to watch Hawthorn V whoever. So we're going to quiz you over a couple of things, three categories, sport, general knowledge and music. So I reckon you got them covered. But we're going to hit you with a couple of questions.

PRIME MINISTER: We'll see how I go.

[GAME]

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