Good morning, Albo.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Good to be in Queensland.
JEBOULT: Is it, though? Are you getting a bit of stick?
PRIME MINISTER: It is. No, no, it was a tough game, wasn't it? I mean, 2-nil at halftime and no tries for 60 minutes. But, it was an awesome game of footy.
GUY "CLIFFO" CLIFTON, HOST: And finally you've got something to cheer about because your South Sydney Rabbitohs haven't given you much cause for celebration this year.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, come on. They got on a bit of a roll there. We won five in a row. It was a pretty ordinary start with one out of 10, I've got to say.
CLIFTON: How do you like the Cowboys chances this year?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they've been a bit inconsistent as well, haven't they? You look on paper, they're certainly hard to beat at home, as well. That's a huge advantage they've got. So, I don't think - I can't see Penrith winning again this year. Maybe that's more hope than anything else, but I think it's a pretty open competition.
JEBOULT: Should be interesting. Albo, you're in Brisbane at the moment and on your way up to Townsville soon, we believe. Look, the people of Townsville, in terms of the bigger, I guess, question on everyone's lips at the moment is around our beloved Reef HQ. It was knocked down, there was money promised. The Budget was released recently. There has been no money allocated to Reef HQ. Where do we currently stand now?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm going to have a look at it and I've spoken with Minister King and also with Kristy McBain and we want to talk to the Council as well about whether there can be, I mean, there's a number of options there, potentially a reallocation of some funds from the City Deal. I know how important Reef HQ is there in Townsville, but the Government hadn't committed funding to it, so nothing's been withdrawn. But we want to see the business case and want to see all of that, and I have no doubt that that's one of the things that will be discussed with me today. And our candidate we're announcing today, Edwina Andrew, she ran for the Senate last time there in Townsville. She's a long term resident there, raising her family there. She's lived and worked all over regional and remote Queensland for more than 40 years. So, working with Edwina I'm sure we'll be having a look at that while I'm up there.
CLIFTON: We'll talk more about her in a sec because that is the reason you're coming to Townsville today and that's obviously an exciting announcement for your Government. I guess, you could understand the people of Townsville very frustrated in regards to this whole Reef HQ thing and the question mark over the top of it. All BS aside, Albo, where do you sit on this, mate? Are we going to get it back or not? I know there's lots of, you know, ifs, buts, maybes, but what are you feeling in your waters? Because it's such an important thing for our city. Not only is it a tourist attraction and whatnot, but the research side of it for the Great Barrier Reef - is it coming back or not?
PRIME MINISTER: I get that it's important and we won't be having an announcement today. There has been some money allocated, but GBRMPA, the Marine Park Authority, is seeking an additional $100 million - or it's a bit more than that - that they're seeking of new money, which is a substantial amount of money that they're asking for. There was money set aside by the previous Government of around about that, a bit under $100 million for a concert hall in Townsville, pending outcomes to the business case. Now, the business case is ready to be completed, my understanding is. So, we'll work with the state Minister as well, Grace Grace and Kristy McBain, on this issue. And the Minister has written to the newly elected Mayor Troy Thompson, seeking the Council's views of that. So, we want to hear those views from the Council. I know that the Mayor there, I've been reading about him a bit, so I don't know if that's part of the problem, to be honest. He's made a bit of a name for himself pretty quickly, even down in Canberra.
CLIFTON: It's going to be a slow process.
JEBOULT: It will be. Let us know how that goes as well, won't you? Obviously, there's not going to be a Federal Election till next year, Albo, this new Labor Candidate is Edwina Andrew. Tell us about her.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, she's a terrific candidate. She's someone who has run for the Senate last time. I launched her campaign there in Townsville on The Strand a few years ago, prior to the 2022 election. She's a long term resident. She's been there since 1985, she's lived in Townsville. She's raised her children and now grandchildren there. She's currently developing and leading prevention and response services, working with people involved in the youth justice system and working on domestic violence and those difficult issues. So, she's someone who is very active in the community. She grew up in a rural household in Queensland and so she's someone who I think will be a really strong advocate on the issues that matter to Townsville. Townsville is growing, of course, with jobs and new industries coming in there, but I know that services need to keep up. Health and education, justice issues, are all front and centre.
CLIFTON: All right, well, with at least, probably 12 months or so to go before the Federal Election, it's a name and a person we're going to see lots of over the next twelve-ish or so months. For now, we're going to let him go because, I guess you got to get that Blues jersey washed and ready to wear loud and proud in Townsville later on this morning. But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, thank you so much for your time.
PRIME MINISTER: Fantastic. Great to talk with you as always and have a great day.
