: Well, we haven't spoken to the big boss since he was re-elected in a landslide. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is with us now. Good morning.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Wonderful to be back in person. I've brought the rain.
SHAW: Oh yeah, but look, you know I for one am enjoying it. Although Barra's not because his kitchen flooded in the early hours of this morning. What brings you to town this week?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh look, yesterday I brought the entire Cabinet here. I had a terrific meeting with the Premier and we announced a further upgrade of the Kwinana Freeway and I went down to Freo or near there - Beeliar - and went to the Urgent Care Clinic there. We're going to open another 50, there and it's been a real opportunity to come back and just say thank you to the people of Western Australia. We had a very successful election of course, we elected two new members in Moore and Bullwinkel and it was very much a part of our re-election and I want to make sure that here in WA - which helps to drive our national economy - that we continue to work to create jobs and that economic activity here.
ADRIAN BARICH, HOST: Mr. Albanese, or do we call you Mr. Prime Minister or Albo, what do you prefer?
PRIME MINISTER: Call me whatever you like.
BARICH: I get called Barra. I'm not so great on the Barra thing but Albo, it's -
PRIME MINISTER: All of those are acceptable.
BARICH: It's great to speak to you. I believe as well like you launched your campaigns here the last two elections, didn't you? So, you obviously love it over here and it's probably going to be a permanent thing I'd reckon as long as you keep winning.
PRIME MINISTER: I reckon it's a - you'd be a brave person who suggested to me we should ever launch a campaign anywhere else given we're two for two. Two major campaigns that have ever been launched here in the West -
BARICH: Oh, sorry, Albo. I was just going to say I was impressed that you revealed that you gave up drinking as well during that whole process. So, how's that? How did that go?
PRIME MINISTER: From the 1st of January. Well that went okay. Obviously. It was a matter of - I mean I'm not a big drinker anyway - but it was just a part of discipline. And I was getting up early every morning, late nights, you do really long days. It was a 37 day campaign, but it really began on January 5th. I went around the country. I went up the Queensland coast, through Mount Isa, through the Northern Territory to Kununurra, down to here in Perth. And that was essentially the first week of January. So, I kept going all the way through.
SHAW: Yeah.
PRIME MINISTER: And it was just a part of the discipline on the campaign that my entire team engaged in.
SHAW: Got to pace yourself.
BARICH: I got a tip for you Albo, as well. It's, you know, you have 'Coogee' and 'Coogee'. It's Coo-gee here, mate if you're ever there as well. It's 'Karrinyup' not 'Karen-yup'.
SHAW: It's not Telethon. Leave the man alone.
PRIME MINISTER: I always have to check a couple of the pronunciations.
BARICH: Albo, I'm the Catholic in the room. Can I ask the Pope question? Or you want to ask the Pope question?
SHAW: No, No. Be my guest.
BARICH: Okay, well -
PRIME MINISTER: Let's not fight over Pope Leo, please.
SHAW: Let's not.
BARICH: Now, Albo, your mum raised you with three great faiths, I heard you say. The Labor Party, the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Catholic Church. So, that trip to see the Pope, that must have been really meaningful. Was it? What'd you learn from the great man?
PRIME MINISTER: It was awesome. It was such a privilege to represent Australia at the Inaugural Mass there in St. Peter's Square with other world leaders. And it was just quite a moment in my life. And then I got an audience with the Holy Father the next day and it was scheduled for 15 minutes and it went for 45. And we had a real opportunity to talk with each other. It was great.
SHAW: You hit it off.
BARICH: Hit it off. He loves tennis too, doesn't he? Doesn't he love tennis?
PRIME MINISTER: He does like tennis. That did get a mention as well. I try to play tennis. I actually got to play in the Sydney Badge comp on Saturday. I missed the early rounds from my team, the mighty Marrickville. But I did get to play on Saturday.
SHAW: So, he has a standing invitation to the Australian Open, the Pope.
PRIME MINISTER: He has a standing invitation wherever he wants to go, I think -
BARICH: Jannik Sinner -
SHAW: No, he's not a fan of Jannik Sinner -
PRIME MINISTER: And we're hoping he will be coming out here in a couple of years.
SHAW: Prime Minister, the minimum wage around the country is going up next month by 3.5 per cent. What real life impact does this have on some of Australia's households?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, it's fantastic. It's extra dollars in people's pockets and together with the income tax cuts that we've done already, but the ones to come aimed at that first marginal tax rate that kick in for low income earners. It will make a difference. We know people have been doing it tough. There's cost of living pressures there and we wanted to see a real wage increase and real wages have now increased for the last 18 months. And what that's doing is making a real difference to people. And of course those people spend money as well. They're not in a position to be able to save. So, it helps the economy as well. So, we really welcome it. It will make a practical difference. Not an enormous increase, 3.5 per cent for the inflation rate is 2.4 per cent. So, it's an increase of bit over 1 per cent in people's real wages.
SHAW: Oh yeah, just, I mean it sort of, that coupled with the mortgage relief just kind of helps with people's, you know, outlook and sort of hope for the future.
BARICH: There is one fellow you got to watch though, isn't it that - are you like, Rita Saffiotti - when you wake up in the morning at 5am you see what Trump, he's been up to and go, oh my God, what's he done today? Is that how it works?
SHAW: He's broken up with his bestie, Elon.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it is, I do see there's a bit of tension between Mr. Musk and President Trump. But look, we - it's just something that we're dealing with. We'll deal with it respectfully. He's been elected. We respect that outcome. And the United States is important for the global economy. And it's not so much directly what will impact on us of some of these tariffs. It's a slowdown in the global economy that will have an impact and that's why we've said it's an act of economic self harm. Tariffs - all they're doing is increasing prices for American consumers. So, it's a strange economic strategy in 2025, but it's one that we're having to deal with.
SHAW: The G7 Summit is later this month. In fact, that's where you will meet with President Trump. Have you met him in person before?
BARICH: What's he like?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I haven't. I've had three phone conversations with him and they've been really good conversations, they've been constructive. And of course he has a particular style of speech, of course, there are lots of adjectives that he uses to describe things. There's never half measures and -
SHAW: Hit him with some Aussie slang, I say. That'll, you know -
BARICH: G' day, Trumpy.
SHAW: What are the dinners like at those things? The G7 -
PRIME MINISTER: G'day mate.
BARICH: You'd have a WhatsApp with him as well, would you? Or something like that, for sure.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, one of the things that I find in talking at forums like that is I engage the same way that I'd engage at any forum here.
SHAW: Yes.
PRIME MINISTER: I think people appreciate the fact that Australians are pretty down to earth. We say what we mean, we're respectful, but we engage pretty directly.
SHAW: They love that about us.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, they do. And I just, you know, I'll go up and say g'day and talk about what we have in common. Where there are some differences, we'll try and talk those through and get some solutions in the national interest.
SHAW: Well, I think Barra wants to wrap things up. Godspeed. Here we go. I'm here if you need me.
BARICH: Can I just be frivolous for one second? Because I know you're a huge music fan and, you know, used to be a DJ and all that sort of stuff, but you're also a big fan of my friend Lisa, one of her bands, the Ramones, right -
PRIME MINISTER: Right, yeah, the Ramones, absolutely.
BARICH: Now, be honest. Have you ever wanted to yell out in Parliament, "hey, ho, let's go, let's go."
PRIME MINISTER: Let's go. You know what? In the 2022 election campaign, when it was announced by Mr. Morrison and I stood at the press conference and I finished off with: 'as the great Ramones would say, hey ho, let's go.' My campaign director, who's a real wowzer -
SHAW: Yeah.
PRIME MINISTER: And hopefully he sees his transcript, says, 'mate, you gotta stop the music references, they're really obscure.' And I said, no, it is what it is. I'm gonna keep doing it.
SHAW: You know what the kids say: if, you know, you know.
PRIME MINISTER: I manage to work it in.
SHAW: Yeah. Yeah. All right, well, on that note. Enjoy your time here, as you always do.
PRIME MINISTER: Should I stay or should I go now?
BARICH: I wanted to ask you, when you were DJing, what was the song that really filled the dance floor that you pulled out? But anyway, that'll be another day, Albo.
PRIME MINISTER: Am I ever gonna see your face again.
BARICH: Always.
PRIME MINISTER: Good audience participation.
SHAW: You are the man that could change that as the national anthem, officially. Prime Minister Albanese, thanks for chatting to us.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, guys.
