AMANDA: The Prime Minister has dropped by this morning. Good morning Mr Turnbull.
PRIME MINISTER:
Good morning!
AMANDA:
Nice to see you.
PRIME MINISTER:
Great to see you.
AMANDA:
I saw you with a whole group of smiling teens yesterday, announcing some great things about vaccines for young girls?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah, young girls and young boys too –
AMANDA:
Can boys take it too?
PRIME MINISTER:
They do, they do -
JONESY:
This is a leukaemia -
PRIME MINISTER:
This is Gardasil. This is yesterday, this was the Gardasil announcement. This is the great vaccine that protects people from the HPV, the Human Papillomavirus which is the cause of cervical cancer and indeed some other cancers.
We are introducing a new Gardasil from next year, which will cover 90 per cent of the risk. It’s a real, it is a huge change. It is basically, we’re at a point where we could eliminate over time, that Human Papillomavirus.
So I was there at North Bondi Surf Club, with a lot of young Nippers and junior lifesavers and of course, with Ian Frazer who was one of the two medical scientists that discovered this vaccine.
JONESY:
Amazing technology isn’t it?
PRIME MINISTER:
It is! Well it is and it underlines the importance of being able to invest in the right drugs and new drugs.
We’re announcing another great development today which will provide relief from leukaemia for nearly 1,000 sufferers of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and lymphoma. It’s a new drug called Imbruvica.
JONESY:
Geez.
PRIME MINISTER:
That currently would cost $180,000 to have a course. We’re putting it on the PBS, because we’re managing the health budget well, and it will cost $38.80 or $6.30 if you’re on a concession card.
So, that’s what you can do if you manage the health budget well - you can deliver these lifesaving drugs to keep Australians well.
JONESY:
You know I was reading about you, back in the days when you were working for Kerry Packer. He wanted to get Playboy, the licensing rules for Playboy Magazine. So you had to do that whole – that was your job, you had to –
PRIME MINISTER:
I went to Chicago, yeah.
JONESY:
And did you meet Hugh? Because he just died last week.
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I didn’t. I know he did and no I didn’t meet him, because he’d actually moved to L.A. by that time and the business was being run in Chicago where it was founded by Christie Hefner who is his daughter.
So, I negotiated with her and it took, I was there for a few weeks and we got, secured the licence, the Australian licence for Playboy and Kerry published an Australian edition of Playboy.
JONESY:
Oh yeah?
AMANADA:
Did you get to go into the Mansion?
PRIME MINISTER:
No I didn’t. Look, it really should have been so much more fun, but I –
[Laughter]
AMANDA:
Matching pyjamas?
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER:
Basically going between, going into an office block in Chicago.
JONESY:
Right, this is what you said to Lucy? It’s so boring! There’s nothing!
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah well it was so long ago, it was actually, I think Lucy and I were dating but we hadn’t got married, but anyway.
JONESY:
That would have been even harder! That’s even harder!
PRIME MINISTER:
That’s right.
AMANDA:
While we’ve got you here, would you play a game with us?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yep, okay.
AMANDA:
It’s a quick quiz we’d like to do with you. I know you hang out with a lot of politicians.
JONESY:
Yep.
AMANDA:
We thought we’d come up with a thing called My G8 Mate. I know Australia is in the G20 –
PRIME MINISTER:
Yep, that’s right.
AMANDA:
Which means we’re not the top echelon but these are your homies, these are the people you hang out with on a regular basis.
JONESY:
Prime Minister, I’ve taken the liberty of making an intro for this by the way.
[Music plays]
Time to play now My G8 Mate.
AMANDA:
Just how well do you know you co-politicians? Are you ready for question number one?
PRIME MINISTER:
Okay, I’m concentrating.
AMANDA:
Okay concentrate. Which G8 leader’s buttocks went viral earlier in the year after this person was photographed in some tight pants?
PRIME MINISTER:
Ah-
AMANDA:
Do you remember this story? It’s on many screensavers around our office.
JONESY:
He might have been from –
AMANDA:
See, you’ve said a ‘he’, it’s a bit of a clue.
PRIME MINISTER:
Okay, well, I dunno - Justin Trudeau?
AMANDA:
Yes, correct! The Canadian Prime Minister.
JONESY:
Those buttocks!
PRIME MINISTER:
He’s pretty handsome.
JONESY:
He’s a pretty handsome guy, isn’t he?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah I’ve been with him at international meetings and I’ve got to tell you, he is the most popular selfie target.
[Laughter]
AMANDA:
Even for you?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, yep absolutely.
JONESY:
Do you ever feel when you’re there, do you say: ‘Okay Justin, why don’t you just go over there, go on, just hang out with them’?
PRIME MINISTER:
No I think the thing to do with Justin is just to sort of slipstream behind and you can get some-
AMANDA:
In the wake.
PRIME MINISTER:
Pick up some reflected celebrity status.
JONESY:
Plus those buttocks as well.
AMANDA:
Is he worth the crush? Is he crush-worthy?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, look, he’s super smart and he’s young and good looking. He’s got everything going for him.
AMANDA:
What’s not to love?
PRIME MINISTER:
And he’s Prime Minister of Canada.
JONESY:
Oh don’t waste the Prime Minister’s time like this.
AMANDA:
I just want to know.
PRIME MINISTER:
His wife Sophie is fantastic too actually -
AMANDA:
Oh, drat.
PRIME MINISTER:
Luce and I get on very well with them.
JONESY:
Question number two.
AMANDA:
Alright, question number two for you - which G8 mate made a cameo in the film Home Alone 2?
PRIME MINISTER:
That would be the Donald.
AMANDA:
That’s correct.
JONESY:
And do you know that he insists on being, if you want to use his hotels or anything in a movie, he insists on making a cameo in it? That’s part of the thing.
PRIME MINISTER:
Really?
JONESY:
Yeah!
PRIME MINISTER:
Wow. Well that’s definitely personal branding in a big way.
[Laughter]
AMANDA:
Question number three, which G8 mate has a black Labrador called Nemo? Do you talk pets when you hang out?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, but that’s – a black Labrador called Nemo? Okay, I’ll have a go, would it be Putin?
AMANDA:
No, it’s actually Emanuel Macron.
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh really?
AMANDA:
Yeah, but I’m wondering maybe -
PRIME MINISTER:
Okay, I know Macron but I didn’t know he had a black Labrador called Nemo.
JONESY:
This is good.
AMANDA:
Also because he’s so young he’s only just seen the film Finding Nemo himself.
[Laughter]
JONESY:
I think Putin would have a dog called Rex wouldn’t he?
PRIME MINISTER:
Or Fang.
[Laughter]
AMANDA:
Fang! Sic ‘em Fang!
JONESY:
Or Stalin.
PRIME MINISTER:
On reflection, yes.
AMANDA:
Well here’s your final question which G8 mate once tried to crush a frying pan with his bare hands?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, that would have to be Putin.
AMANDA:
It would have to be Putin.
JONESY:
Nah, it was John Howard. John Howard.
[Laughter]
It’s always great to see you Prime Minister.
AMANDA:
And it’s always good to see these health initiatives.
JONESY:
Yeah doing great stuff.
AMANDA:
It’s a great thing.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah it is. It’s very important and we’ve got a great PBS, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. It costs a lot of money, but we can keep on putting these lifesaving drugs on it, because we want to make sure that we do everything we can to keep Australians well and healthy.
AMANDA:
Bring back Bex I say.
PRIME MINISTER:
And a good lie down, okay.
JONESY:
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, thank you yet again.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thanks very much, thank you.