RYAN FITZGERALD:
You’re in for a special treat, because this is the first time that we’ve had this man on our show.
MICHAEL WIPFLI:
Oh yeah.
RYAN FITZGERALD:
It is the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Welcome to the show Malcolm!
PRIME MINISTER:
Hey, great to be with you.
MICHAEL WIPFLI:
Prime Minister, we have wanted you on the show for a long time. Have you ever listened to the Fitzy and Wippa broadcast before?
PRIME MINISTER:
You know, I haven’t but I’m glad to be on it this morning.
RYAN FITZGERALD:
Okay, you get to request a song at the end of that you know Prime Minister, so you’ve got to think of your number one karaoke song alright? But we’ll give you time to think about that okay?
PRIME MINISTER:
I’m about as good at karaoke as I am at basketball.
[Laughter]
RYAN FITZGERALD:
Well said, well said!
We do have to talk about this because the United Nations has stepped in with the North Korea crisis that is happening at the moment. You’ve asked them to intervene to stop the reckless conduct that is happening over there with Kim Jong-un at the moment. A lot of people, we’re seeing a lot of breaking news, a lot of people are very nervous at the moment Prime Minister. Are we getting all of the information at the moment? Are we very close to something happening?
PRIME MINISTER:
The UN Security Council has met. All of the members have condemned North Korea’s latest provocation which was this latest nuclear test, following hard on the heels of firing a missile that flew over Japan the previous week.
This is a very dangerous, reckless, provocative regime. The need now is to enforce the toughest economic sanctions on North Korea. Now, the Security Council already has imposed sanctions and what they’re now considering, is imposing even tougher ones. Really, that is the key to bringing the regime to its senses, without conflict.
RYAN FITZGERALD:
You mentioned yesterday of course, that China would play a huge role in this.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, China has by far the biggest economic relationship with North Korea and so it has the biggest leverage and therefore the greatest responsibility.
But it is important to understand that while they’ve got a shared history and they’re both communist states and they’ve obviously been allies - very close allies - North Korea is not an obedient client state to China like East Germany was to the old Soviet Union.
RYAN FITZGERALD:
No.
PRIME MINISTER:
China is frustrated. They are dismayed by North Korea’s conduct, they’ve condemned it. What Kim Jong-un did with the last nuclear test as he’s done before, was a very calculated affront to China. I mean, Xi Jinping was hosting a big international conference in Beijing and so Kim Jong-un basically affronts him by having this nuclear test in defiance of Beijing’s wishes.
But nonetheless, China does have the greatest economic leverage. It has got the ability to bring the regime to its senses without conflict and it should do so.
MICHAEL WIPFLI:
Prime Minister if Donald Trump decides “enough is enough, we’re in, we’re on,” is a phone call made to you? Or do we just hear this and realise that as allied forces, we’re on as well? Or how does it roll out if we hit ‘go’ here?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it depends what you mean by ‘hit go’, but we have a very close relationship with the United States in all of these defence and strategic matters, none closer. So we are in constant contact at many, many levels through our government system, our defence system, intelligence systems. But the important point to remember, is that everybody wants to get this resolved without conflict.
RYAN FITZGERALD:
Absolutely.
PRIME MINISTER:
Nobody wants to have conflict here. I mean Nikki Haley who is the US representative to the United Nations, made the point that North Korea is effectively begging for war.
MICHAEL WIPFLI:
Yeah, yeah it feels like that.
PRIME MINISTER:
It is extraordinary conduct but a war on the Peninsula would result in thousands of deaths, extraordinary devastation. It would be so damaging to the world, to the region, to the global economy. It would be a catastrophe. That is why everybody that has leverage over North Korea should use it now to bring them to their senses.
Again I want to stress, I’m not suggesting China is responsible in any way for Kim Jong-un’s actions, quite the contrary. Nonetheless China does have the biggest leverage and hence the biggest responsibility.
RYAN FITZGERALD:
Let’s pray it doesn’t get to that point. On a lighter note you were just talking about this before, but since you’ve been on our show and its only been for a couple of minutes Prime Minister, we’ve received a phone call here from arguably Australia’s greatest ever basketballer, Andrew Gaze is on the line. Good morning Gazey.
ANDREW GAZE:
Morning Fitzy. yes just wanted to call up and just say if I could have a chat to the Prime Minister just ever so briefly, because there’s a lot of important issues going on around the world and we wish you all the very best with some of those negotiations. But on the internet over the weekend, I tell you what, basketball is the most participated sport in this country, I suppose where participation is concerned. To see some of this shooting action the Prime Minister had, in this little exhibition there at one of the venues. I mean there was no arc, there was no leg bend, there was a whole lot going wrong with that particular shot and I just wanted to offer my services to the great man.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Andrew, thank you, thank you, clearly I do need a coach. But you know the funny thing is, the funny thing is that everyone says this about politicians, “Oh they’re so scripted,” you know, “They’re so risk averse, they don’t want to try to do anything.”
RYAN FITZGERALD:
So bad at sport.
PRIME MINISTER:
The reality is if you give most people a basketball, they’re going to miss the hoop, right?
RYAN FITZGERALD:
Come on Gazey.
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER:
Not you Andrew, not you. You give most 62-year old politicians a basketball, they’ll miss the hoop. But still, you may as well have a go!
[Laughter]
RYAN FITZGERALD:
Yeah.
PRIME MINISTER:
I’m always happy to have a go.
RYAN FITZGERALD:
Gazey, you’ve got to get him out to the Sydney Kings one night. Prime Minister, do you want to go see the Kings play if you get a spare night?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah, that’d be good if I get a spare night.
[Laughter]
RYAN FITZGERALD:
Yep.
PRIME MINISTER:
Hey Andrew? Is Gazey still there?
RYAN FITZGERALD:
Yeah, he’s still there.
PRIME MINISTER:
I’ve got to say I was so pumped up, excited by the enthusiasm of all those kids at that Willetton Basketball Centre I went to in Perth with Ben Morton. Because you know, you can see it is just so popular. Did you say it’s the most popular participation sport in Australia? Is that right?
ANDREW GAZE:
Oh look, I might have been stretching the imagination ever so slightly there.
[Laughter]
But it is, participation rates are certainly the envy of most other sports.
MICHAEL WIPFLI:
Yeah.
ANDREW GAZE:
We unfortunately are very honest with our registration numbers, unlike some of these other sports. I always like to think it is the most participated. We need a few more venues and then, no doubt about it, we’ll be able to lay claim.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I’m getting lots of help. Joe Ingles has tweeted me offering support, so you know, clearly it’s also very touching. Everyone says that people are very hard on politicians, but there you see –
MICHAEL WIPFLI:
Well there you go.
PRIME MINISTER:
Great Australian basketballers are reaching out, they’re filled with compassion and a desire to help me so that’s good.
MICHAEL WIPFLI:
Prime Minister you’re a big Swans fan too, will you be there on Saturday?
PRIME MINISTER:
No I won’t sadly. I’ll be up in Darwin, but how do you feel about it? You’d be torn between them and the Crows I guess.
RYAN FITZGERALD:
Yeah we are at the moment.
MICHAEL WIPFLI:
The Swannies are flying.
RYAN FITZGERALD:
It’s just great, it’s finals time, we are very excited.
We did say to you before, you need to choose a song though, Prime Minister. I mean, you don’t need to perform it for us now. Mike Baird, he went with Power and the Passion by Midnight Oil, Gladys Berejiklian went Ed Sheeran, Bill Shorten picked Great Southern Land. What is your number one song Mr Turnbull?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, my favourite song – but it’s a romantic song…
MICHAEL WIPFLI:
Yeah, no I like this.
PRIME MINISTER:
My romantic song is If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?
RYAN FITZGERALD:
Oh!
MICHAEL WIPFLI:
Have you slow waltzed with Lucy to that one?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah, yeah.
RYAN FITZGERALD:
That’s not bad. Alright.
PRIME MINISTER:
But I couldn’t sing it, I’ve got to tell you.
RYAN FITZGERALD:
You know, Tony Abbott’s was Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley. He performed that for us.
MICHAEL WIPFLI:
He knew a few.
[Laughter]
RYAN FITZGERALD:
He’d had a couple of beers before it as well, I dunno if there were any c-bombs dropped while he was singing.
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, this is a family program.
[Laughter].
MICHAEL WIPFLI:
Yes it is, so we don’t understand what that means. But Prime Minister thank you so much for your time.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah, great to be with you. Thanks a lot Gazey too.
RYAN FITZGERALD:
No worries, good on you mate.
[ENDS]