CANBERRA, ACT, Oct. 22 -- The Prime Minister of Australia issued the following media release:
CHRIS SMITH, HOST:On the line right now I've got the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. PM, welcome to the show.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER:Good morning, Chris. Good to be with you.
SMITH:You would have been listening at least to some of that press conference yesterday. Heartbreaking to hear that she had lost her second leg as well. And she really is in for the fight of her life from here, isn't she?
PRIME MINISTER:She certainly is. And I listened to every single word of that very powerful press conference from her husband of 40 years they've been together and the love and affection really shone through. I thought that Phil was incredibly strong. I spoke to him earlier in the day, so I was briefed about Helen's health condition in the morning, so I was conscious of what was going to happen during the day and the further surgery. And I also spoke with the Governor-General, who I also thought carried herself so well. She is doing a great job as Governor-General and one of the things that she always emphasises, as she did again last night, was the need for kindness and compassion as part of the Australian character. And Helen, certainly in the way that she conducts herself in Parliament and in her local electorate. I visited her electorate. I've been to that office there in Wangaratta with her. I've seen the way that her community relates to her. I've been in businesses there in her electorate. She's a strong advocate and I thought Phil's most powerful thing that he said amongst what was an extraordinary statement that he was able to give. I'm not quite sure how he drew on that strength, but was to speak about Helen's heart and her brain and the giant heart that she has is certainly evident. But also, you know, she's a very smart, intelligent person as well. And I thought it was a really loving tribute and of course, a very difficult time now. And our thoughts remain with Helen. She's not through this and it is good that people are having vigils and there was one in Wodonga last night where I gave a message to her predecessor, Cathy McGowan, who's also someone of great compassionate, local representative in that beautiful part of Victoria.
SMITH:I'm glad you mentioned the Governor-General. Gee, I was impressed with Sam Mostyn. Now, you speak to her all the time. You've known her for a quite a while. None of us hear from the Governor-General, usually, apart from some of these more official events. She was inspiring and it made me think, we need to hear more of her and from her.
PRIME MINISTER:She's fantastic. One of the things that I get to do as Prime Minister is appoint the Governor-General or make a recommendation to King Charles for the appointment. And I was very confident that she was the right person. I knew Sam and had seen her work that she'd done in the business community through the Business Council of Australia and various boards that she had been on over the years. Everything from Virgin Airways through to Transurban and a range of other bodies. She had had contact with me because of my connection with infrastructure and transport. But also she was the first female AFL Commissioner. And if you have a look at what's happening now with AFL Women and the participation of women in sport, she's a really dynamic person. And I think her background as well, with her father serving in senior roles in the Australian Defence Force, growing up in Canberra in that defence environment, means that she was really suited to this role and she brings dignity to the role of Governor-General, which is so important. Of course, it's above politics. And it's something that Phil, when I spoke with him yesterday morning, he was keen to have the Governor-General, who's also a friend of Helen Haines, they have had contact together, including very recently in the electorate.
SMITH:But Sam told the ABC this morning that she woke up today to a fresh wave of abusive messages online. Here she was excelling in front of the country and some cretins think it's prime time to have a go at her online. Which gets back to what you have been saying, and rightly, as I've made the point on the program, lower the temperature. We need to lower the temperature, don't we?
PRIME MINISTER:We do, Chris. And we can have healthy debates about issues, we can have robust disagreements. I think you and I have some different views about a range of issues, but we've always engaged, I've got to say. I've always engaged with you constructively.
SMITH:Yeah.
PRIME MINISTER:That's what people want to hear. That's how a democracy can move forward. And the fact that there is such an increase in uncivil behaviour, particularly online. But what that does then is normalise aggression and anger, and that can result in people then engaging in actions that really endanger the way that we operate as a society. I want to make sure that I can continue to go to community events, to get out and about. As you know, I used to love going to the footy in the outer. It's a bit harder now with the security that I have to have. But, you know, I miss that. And I was Deputy Prime Minister more than a decade ago now, and a senior Minister. I never had security. I was Leader of the Opposition. I didn't have security between 2019 and 2022. And now it's changed. There are far more people with security because it's necessary, because of the threat levels that have risen. And it's important that we're able to engage with each other and to have those disagreements and to hear from people about what they are thinking. I still go and get dog food for Toto and get various personal supplies. I usually do it in Canberra these days. But people will stop and they'll talk with you. Overwhelmingly, they're respectful and they might have a complaint or a point of view or tell you where you're going wrong and that's fine. That's a good thing in a democracy that we're able to engage. Let's not lose it. That's one of the beauties of radio, of course.
SMITH:Yeah, exactly. Can I ask you one last question? Will you be going in to see Helen Haines or is it too early? Or is she a little dirty on you for trying to have a go at her over the Marrickville grant situation?
PRIME MINISTER:No, she's a good friend and we have a very positive relationship. I had a meeting with her last week when Parliament sat during the last sitting, her and other crossbenchers. She's someone who makes an enormous contribution. She, like me, has advocated for her electorate. She's not in a position of receiving visitors at this point in time. I've had a couple of discussions with her husband, Phil. I spoke with him on Monday, spoke with him again yesterday. We're continuing to be engaged with him. At this stage Helen's condition is still very serious and we just really hope and pray for a full recovery for her.
SMITH:Very much so. Can we have a yarn at another stage about some other bigger issues going on at the moment, maybe down the track?
PRIME MINISTER:Absolutely, Chris.
SMITH:Before Christmas, maybe?
PRIME MINISTER:Yeah, absolutely. That would be good.
SMITH:That'd be great. Thank you very much for making yourself available. We appreciate it.
PRIME MINISTER:Thank you, Chris.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
