AMANDA KELLER: Good morning Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, how are you guys?
AMANDA KELLER: Was it you that got the rat?
PRIME MINISTER: I was introduced to a rat, yes I was. It was a very polite and well behaved rat.
AMANDA KELLER: [Laughter]
So much has happened since we spoke to you. Donald Trump is now President of the United States and that seems to be going to cohesively. You had the phone call, you were impersonated on Saturday Night Live, what did you make of their impression of you on Saturday Night Live?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I thought it was flattering enough, but the most important thing that has happened since we last spoke is that we’ve continued to see strong economic growth in Australia. We just saw that in the last national accounts, in the last quarter. So our economy is growing now, faster than any of the big G7 economies, the biggest seven economies in the world. So given all of the turbulence in the world, and you know, given the downturn in mining construction and so forth, that’s a very big achievement. Very important.
BRENDAN JONES: Do you think Prime Minister, we’re relying on too many polls? It just seems to me that there’s too many non-experts having their say, these news polls come out all the time and you yourself said you can’t rely on news polls. But we’ve become slaves to them.
PRIME MINISTER: Well I guess it’s a means of creating news, but I’ve got to focus on the fact that Australians need leadership, strong economic leadership to ensure they’ve got great jobs and that they can get better jobs, their businesses can thrive, their kids have got good prospects. Everything we’re doing is focussed on that. And based on the latest figures, we’re delivering. So that’s very good news.
AMANDA KELLER: The polls do seem slightly alarming, for me, in terms of One Nation getting ten per cent now. Their primary vote has doubled since November. How are you going to combat Pauline Hanson, the Hanson effect?
PRIME MINISTER: Well look, we’ve been through a period where we’ve seen slow or low growth in nominal wages, you know, because of low inflation in large part. So many people and many people of course particularly in regional Australia, have seen a drop in business activity because of the downturn in the mining construction boom. We’re very focussed on that. The great economic performance we’ve got is a tribute to the really hard work and enterprise of millions of Australians and businesses, large and – particularly – small.
Now the thing that we’re doing and that we will continue doing, is focus on ensuring that all Australians benefit from economic growth. That’s one of the things I was up to on the weekend, with Joko Widodo the President of Indonesia. So we secured more access for our sugar exports and beef exports to Indonesia. That benefits regional Australia, it benefits Northern Australia and Queensland in particular.
That’s just one example of what we’re doing all the time to get bigger opportunities for Australians, businesses to export, to succeed, you know and of course, to employ.
AMANDA KELLER: In terms of employment, with the penalty rates recently I know you’ve said that you would accept the Fair Work Commission’s findings either way. It does seem that Australians who are on the lowest end of our scale are really going to be harmed by this. People are asking you to step in. What do you think you should do?
PRIME MINISTER: Well it’s important to respect the independent umpire and if you only accept the independent umpire when they give a decision that suits you, then you’re not respecting the umpire.
Bill Shorten said again and again and again that he would do it and he’s proved yet again to be a back-flipper and a hypocrite on that.
Look, the independent umpire has made that decision. It’s a decision of the Fair Work Commission, not a decision of the Government. The independent umpire has also said that they’re looking now to ensure that as they transition to a change in penalty rates, the impact on workers is minimised. There is a means of doing that, they’ve done that in the past, that’s phasing in changes over a period of years. There are a number of ways that they’re looking at doing that.
Obviously we would welcome the Commission doing what it has always done in the past, which is to ensure that the impact of changes to modern awards is mitigated, so that people are not worse off in terms of what they’re taking home in their pay packet.
AMANDA KELLER: Well let’s hope.
BRENDAN JONES: I heard you haven’t been invited to the Mardi Gras, is that why you haven’t signed off on gay marriage, so you don’t have to stand on a milk crate in the rain?
PRIME MINISTER: [Laughter] My recollection is that my invitation is there, but you know I won’t be getting along there this year, although I’ve been there many years in the past of course. It occurs in my electorate, but I’ve got some other things to do on Mardi Gras day. But it’s always a great event.
BRENDAN JONES: I know exactly what you have to do, you’ve got to clean your gutters out. I’ve seen your house and there’s a big deluge of rain coming. Prime Minister, have you cleaned your gutters? Because once that water –
AMANDA KELLER: Jonesy is obsessed with his gutters. It’s very tiresome.
BRENDAN JONES: Your electrics, I don’t want Lucy being mad at you. You’ve got to get up there with the ladder.
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’ve not been up on my roof cleaning my gutters but that’s a good reminder. Thanks for the tip.
AMANDA KELLER: [Laughter]
BRENDAN JONES: There you go, see? Prime Minister it’s always great to talk to you. Thank you or joining us.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks so much.