Radio interview - Nova Perth

NAT LOCKE, HOST: Prime Minister, good morning.

SHAUN MCMANUS, HOST: Good morning, Albo.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Good to be with you.

LOCKE: You too. I saw that you were in Perth over the weekend for Telethon.

PRIME MINISTER: I was, and it was incredibly successful. More than $100 million raised to help sick kids and their families. And it is a great thing that Perth does. This big state with a big heart. And it's the world's largest telethon, which is quite extraordinary. And the way that the whole of the community got behind it shows the best of us.

MCMANUS: Prime Minister, there's been a lot in the news over the last 20 – well, 72 hours, to be fair. And even more so in the weeks previous to that. What's your take on the political landscape at the moment and tensions in the community?

PRIME MINISTER: Our thoughts at this point in time are certainly with Helen Haines and her family. Her husband, Phil, gave a very powerful speech outside the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne last night, along with the Governor-General. This is an extraordinarily tragic situation. Helen Haines represents the best of the Australian character. She's someone who's kind and decent and compassionate, and she's someone who is a strong advocate for her local community. At the same time, I think it's important to say, even in the toughest of times, we've seen the best of the Australian character. And Ricky Jefferies, the local barber who ran to her help, was an example of that. And I think we need to cherish and hang on to that.

But I do think that we need to turn the temperature down of political debate. We can have our differences and have our debates and do it in a way that is more respectful and doesn't have to reach the point that it has. And that is a real concern which is there. There are now more threats to MPs than there used to be. There was an incident I note there in Perth outside Hannah Beazley’s office yesterday. That is of real concern. Hannah, a friend of mine, she's well known, of course, because I'm a good friend of her dad, the wonderful Kim. This is far too prevalent. It's not who we are as Australians. We can have our discussions and debates and settle those issues at the ballot box.

LOCKE: Yeah. I mean, and I know it's not our place to speculate about the person who's alleged to have injured Helen Haines, but it appears on the surface – and perhaps this can be, you know, we can extrapolate further. But that there may be a mental health issue as well happening in our country where people aren't able to get the sort of help that they need or they don't have the wherewithal to get the help that they need. Do we need to be funding mental health more? I know that there are lots of funds set that way, but anybody that's trying to get into that system or trying to get a loved one into that system is facing problems because there's just no availability. What can we do? Because that looks like it could be, you know – help with home homelessness as well. There are repercussions further down the track there as well. What are we doing to improve the services for people that need help with mental health?

PRIME MINISTER: Indeed. Well, we're funding Medicare mental health clinics that have been very successful in giving people more access. We have as well the youth centres that have been quite successful, and we've expanded funding for them.

LOCKE: Is it enough, though, at this stage?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, you can never do enough when it comes to healthcare.

MCMANUS: I've seen plenty of times Pauline get out there and throw some big words around. Angus is throwing barbs at you left, right and centre. You're coming back with your own stuff as well. Don't you think leadership from your point of view and certainly other political leaders, it's in your court to be able to turn this down as well and treat – I'm sure because you're an adversary, so you're going to be against each other – but there's got to be different language you can also use to make sure that people don't just get caught up in this and, you know, punching on in the streets.

PRIME MINISTER: You're right. We all need to do better. And that falls to political leaders, it falls to people in the media. One of the things about your program is that you're respectful. Doesn't mean we always agree. I've spoken to you many times now over quite a few years, and there's a discussion, it's not yelling, it's not accusations. And I think that more respectful discussion – disagreement, fine. Absolutely fine. We need to be passionate and robust and determined about our views in the world, but we can do that in a way that is consistent with civility. And that is important.

MCMANUS: Yeah. I think you continually need to sell this message on both sides of Parliament to be able to make sure we can break through this. And you're dead right. We should be able to have a conversation where we disagree. But it's okay to be different. It's okay to be different in different forms all across humanity. And we need to be able to get through this by leadership. And it starts at the top.

PRIME MINISTER: Exactly. And certainly, as I think the Governor-General said last night when she spoke with Phil Haines, Helen's husband, outside the Alfred Hospital there in that powerful press statement that they both made, that this is a wakeup call. And this needs to be a moment in which there's that reassessment of the nation and how we make us stronger and how we stick to the Australian character. I mean, Australians are a knockabout people. You know, we have that larrikin element to us. We can have a laugh and have a crack at each other, but let's get rid of some of the nastiness which is there. And I do think we need more kindness and compassion. And civility is a good thing.

MCMANUS: Thanks, mate.

LOCKE: Totally agree. Thank you so much for talking to us this morning, Albo. We'll catch up soon.

PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, yeah, catch up soon.

MCMANUS: Thanks, mate. See you, mate.

PM&C acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the elders past, present and emerging.