The PM has phoned through to chat to you this morning. Good morning.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: G'day, good to be with you. It's great to be back here. I just had a lovely brekkie at Freo. It was a beautiful morning here.
GIBSON: Just stopping off in Freo on the way, a little bit down the freeway there to make this announcement.
PRIME MINISTER: That's right.
GIBSON: You'll be alongside the Premier, I note. Now, PM, we are going to be bombarded, aren't we? We've got a state election in March and a federal one soon after. There's going to be a lot of campaigning here in the West I take it?
PRIME MINISTER: There will be, but this is my 28th visit to Western Australia as Prime Minister. So, I'm here regularly regardless of whether there's an election on or not, and that marks a change from the east coast Prime Ministers of the past. I certainly understand that this is the engine room of Australia's economy, which is why I visit not just Perth, but earlier on in January, I was up at Kununurra announcing new Port infrastructure. And today's announcement is of course all about the Port. It's all about the Westport operations and ensuring that the infrastructure and roads are ready for what will be such an important project for future trade growth from this great state of Western Australia.
GIBSON: Today's also International Holocaust Remembrance Day and both leaders, you and Mr Dutton, have pledged a couple of million bucks towards this Holocaust Institute of WA Education Centre in Yokine. Now, this all takes on extra significance at the moment, doesn't it, with the rise of antisemitic attacks in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: It does. And we're providing funding not just here in WA, but also for a national centre. And there was also funding earlier on for an upgrade of the Holocaust Memorial that is there in Sydney that I'm very familiar with. This is important. We have $2 million here, but $4.4 million to build the National Holocaust Education Centre in Canberra. One of the things that we commemorate today is the travesty, the atrocity of 6 million people losing their lives during the Holocaust. And the global community today will mark 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland. And that needs to be the case that we continue to say never again and that we provide appropriate education so that people understand exactly what happened to ensure that we can stamp out hatred, bigotry and discrimination which of course the, comes from the roots of antisemitism.
GIBSON: Are we doing enough to stamp that out though? I mean it just sickens all of us when we see these attacks and thankfully not so many here in Western Australia, but when you see it on the east coast, it could happen here. What are we doing to get rid of these sorts of attitudes?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, one of the things we can do, of course, is through education. I'm working with a Special Envoy on Antisemitism that we have employed, Jillian Segal, who's doing a tremendous job. We've established a special operation nationally, Special Operation Avalite to respond to and investigate antisemitic attacks. That brings together all of the state police jurisdictions, but also the Australian Federal Police and ASIO and our security agencies as well. And the first arrest has taken place under that operation. But there's been more than 40 people arrested as a result of these antisemitic attacks, and they are being not just arrested but being charged and they're still in the clink overwhelmingly the most serious of crimes, which is what it is before the courts and we will hold them to account for the full force of the law. We've also invested $57 million to improve safety and security at Jewish schools and synagogues.
GIBSON: On 720, ABC Radio Perth. My guest this morning is the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, who's in Perth today and making a couple of announcements, including some significant upgrades to the Kwinana Freeway alongside our state government. We're talking about elections, PM, and March 8 for the state election. Now come on, let's get a bit more info out of you for this federal one. The hot tip seems to be we're leaning towards April. Would I be correct?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it will be on or before May 17th. So, we'll make an announcement when it happens, when I go visit the Governor-General. I've said repeatedly three year terms are too short, but we want to build on the foundations that we've laid in our first term, providing cost of living relief for people. We know people are doing it tough and that's why we've intervened over measures like energy bill relief and cheaper child care, cheaper medicines. And it's why as well we gave a tax cut for every single taxpayer. And it's one year since I announced that measure and of course that means a difference in everyone's pay packet every week or fortnight or month, depending upon when they're paid. And all of those cost of living measures, of course, were opposed by the Coalition.
GIBSON: Look, speaking of that, and we've discussed before, you know that cost of living is right up the top there of election priorities and could sway how people vote. Housing is out of reach for so many people. Do you think that most Australian families are better off or worse off than when you were elected three years ago?
PRIME MINISTER: What I know is that global inflation has had an impact. I know that they would have been worse off if they didn't have the cost of living relief that we've introduced that's been opposed by the Coalition. I know that they'll certainly be worse off again if Peter Dutton is elected with his plan for, he's got to pay for $600 billion at least for this nuclear policy fantasy he's put forward, including one at Collie. Now, that has to come from somewhere and that'll come from cuts and they've made it clear by opposing all of our cost of living measures, the only cost of living measure that he's come up with is free lunches, golf days, karaoke nights, movie nights for some people, which every taxpayer will have to pay for. It's just bad, sloppy, ill thought out policy. That's the only cost of living measure in three years that Peter Dutton has put forward.
GIBSON: Prime Minister, congratulations on the weekend. We've had some of these recipients of Australia Day honours on the program this morning. Just so brilliant to see these wonderful Australians recognised for what they do. But I just wonder why was the former Australian of the Year, Grace Tame, allowed to attend an official function with the F word emblazoned across her T shirt?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, all of the past winners were there. You had some extraordinary Australians, everyone from Mark Taylor, to the former members of The Seekers were there who got their award way back in the 60s. So there was about 15 at least of the former Australians of the Year participated in the week's activities. My focus is on the wonderful recipients and indeed all of the nominees were quite extraordinary.
GIBSON: But none of them wore a T shirt like that. That was the question, about Grace Taine being allowed to wear that T shirt.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm not sure what you're suggesting that was within my power when someone walked in wearing that, but -
GIBSON: Throw her out I would have thought.
PRIME MINISTER: People were invited, and my focus was on the people who were receiving the awards, including of course, Brother Olly Pickett, an amazing West Australian. And to hear that story about 81 different countries benefiting, thousands of young people benefiting from the wheelchairs that have been provided. An extraordinary Australian who's made an incredible difference, as of course are all of the other recipients. I think that Neale Daniher was an extraordinary choice as the Australian of the Year.
GIBSON: I've acknowledged all of that. But I've asked you about Grace Tame and for a third time I'm going to ask you, why wasn't she kicked out?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, I held a function, it is something that, in my view, took away from the people who were there, and my focus was simply on that.
GIBSON: Alright. Prime Minister, enjoy your time in the West. Thanks for chatting again.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much.
