TRANSCRIPT -TV INTERVIEW – TODAY SHOW – TUESDAY 22 JULY 2025
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
TODAY SHOW - KARL STEFANOVIC
TUESDAY, 22 JULY 2025
SUBJECTS: TAX CUTS, NET WORTH OF PRIME MINISTER ANTHONY ALBANESE, US-AUSTRALIA RELATIONS
KARL STEFANOVIC: Labor's landslide victory and there's a bunch on the agenda. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke joins us live from Canberra to discuss. Tony, good morning to you. How are you doing this morning?
TONY BURKE: Hey, Karl, terrific. It's.. for Canberra winter terms, this is tropical.
STEFANOVIC: Well, I can see that you're chipper. I've got a song for you when you waltz and swagger into Parliament today from the great Aussie band Split Enz. You ready? (MUSIC: I see red, I see red, I see red) There’s a sea of red Tony. There you go.
BURKE: I'll tell you what—
STEFANOVIC: A little pump up.
BURKE: I went to their final Sydney gig and I got to tell you, Karl, you're going to get in trouble from New Zealand for calling them an Aussie band.
STEFANOVIC: Well, you're not going to get in trouble today, especially with your majority. Look, what taxes are you going to hit us with?
BURKE: Well, the big tax change that was contested at the election are the tax cuts that happen on income tax, where the tax cuts only happened because we were returned, because had we not won the election, they were going to be undone. So, the tax cuts still go ahead for the next two years on income tax, which is really important top ups for people on cost of living.
STEFANOVIC: So, no new taxes?
BURKE: So, that's a big tax change. That's a big tax change that was contested. Every budget you have, you have a whole lot of issues that deal with different balances here and there. But the big tax change and what mattered for people with cost of living, that was at stake at the election were those income tax cuts.
STEFANOVIC: So, no new taxes confirmed this morning.
BURKE: It's every budget, there's minor tweaks and changes here and there, you know that.
STEFANOVIC: All right, well, let's see what happens. The PM has been accused this morning of falling in love with the trappings of high office, of being detached, out of touch. So, how much does it cost to be Albo, I'm asking this morning. He is not the Six Million Dollar Man though, it costs seven million bucks to be Albo. Gee, that's an expensive PM.
BURKE: I've got to say. If you do no work, you run up no bills. That's the nature of it. And if you have a look, if you have a look at the costs that are referred to, a whole lot of them, for example, are the overseas travel that has protected a whole lot of Australian jobs that were previously, previously gone. Like the, the changes in our trade with China compared to where we were at in 2022. You work in the wine industry, the barley industry, the beef industry. There's a whole lot of industries there, where Australian jobs were being lost, where the Australian economy was taking a huge hit. That doesn't change by accident. Changes by, you know, by visiting other countries, building relationships and delivering for Australia. I can tell you every time, I reckon most Prime Ministers would rather be at home and rather be with the Australian people. But the reality is, as a nation, you know, people are in work and are being better paid and the economy's going more strongly because a whole lot of those things have been done. And, yeah, they run up bills, but it's completely, completely in the national interest.
STEFANOVIC: When is he going to run up a bill meeting Donald Trump?
BURKE: Well, as you know, there was a meeting that almost occurred and for very good reason—
STEFANOVIC: Do you know that yet?
BURKE: …with what was happening with respect to the - I beg your pardon. I don't want to speak over you. Sorry mate.
STEFANOVIC: Do you know yet when he's going to meet Donald Trump?
BURKE: There's not something scheduled, but, you know, world leaders meet each other, they've had conversations and as I say, there's clearly not a problem because there was going to be one scheduled and for reasons that no one would argue with, it ended up not going ahead.
STEFANOVIC: All right, sometime in the future. Tony, enjoy the day. It's a big one for Labor. Appreciate your time.