Ray Hadley slams Anthony Albanese over boat turnbacks, climate change and China during heated 2GB radio chat

The Opposition leader and the 2GB radio host clashed throughout the 30-minute interview over several topics, including boat turnbacks, China’s latest security deal with the Solomon Islands, and climate change, where he insisted there will be “no carbon tax ever” under his government.

Anthony Albanese has clashed with 2GB’s Ray Hadley over the Solomon Islands security agreement with China, climate change, boat turnbacks, and bullying allegations levelled against several women in his leadership team.

The Opposition leader, who remains in isolation at his Sydney residence due to COVID-19, sounded croaky as he kicked off the third week of the Federal Election campaign with the talkback radio host on Tuesday.

The fiery interview quickly turned to the recent suggestion by the Labor Party that the Coalition’s “negligent attitude” towards climate change led the Solomon Islands to sign a security pact with China last week.

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Hadley questioned how the Morrison Government’s stance on climate, referenced by Labor’s Tanya Plibersek and Penny Wong, led to Honiara being “forced into the arms of the world’s biggest emitter” of greenhouse gases.

“The fact is we’ve dropped the ball,” Mr Albanese responded.

Hadley interrupted immediately saying Mr Albanese was the one who pointed to climate change, but the Labor leader said it was the Pacific Islands Forum members, along with Australia who signed the Boe Declaration in 2018.

“They say climate change, in their statements, when the Pacific including Australia have got together, guess what they have to say, they say consistently, that climate change is the number one issue,” the Labor leader said.

“Now, the Pacific leaders in the declaration said this, ‘we affirm that climate change remains the single greatest threat to the livelihood, security, wellbeing for the people of the pacific and our commitment to progressing implementation of the Paris agreement’.”

He also referenced the video footage of Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Scott Morrison, who was Social Services Minister at the time, joking about rising sea levels alongside prime minister at the time, Tony Abbott.

“For them (Pacific Island nations) it is a major threat. It is a massive priority. And it’s a fact,” Mr Albanese said.

Hadley went on to suggest Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare would be “driving around in a Ferrari in some South American country in another five years” with reports politicians on the island took bribes from Beijing.

“The point is Australia has been the security partner of choice and this has happened under our nose and Scott Morrison hasn’t bothered to pick up the phone to Prime Minister Sogavare,” he said.

Mr Albanese said the White House sent a “really serious delegation” to the Solomons Islands, led by US National Security Council Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, Kurt Campbell, but Australia failed to intervene earlier to stop the deal.

But Hadley pointed to the fact the Solomon Islands still ended up signing the deal despite the meeting with top US officials.

Mr Albanese then declared there would be “no carbon tax, ever” under his government.

Hadley repeated his statement before he asked him to say it again so he “had it on record”.

“We will have no carbon tax,” the Opposition leader said.

“There will be no carbon tax, ever.”

The pair then came head-to-head over boat turnbacks where Mr Albanese declared he would support the idea if he was elected as Prime Minister.

“We support boat turnbacks, we support offshore processing, we support settlement in third countries,” he said.

Hadley, who played boat horn sounds, then questioned the Labor leader what visa someone arriving on a boat would receive.

“There’s a boat off northern Australia, it can’t be turned back so they come to Australia,” he said.

Mr Albanese interjected, saying “they won’t come to Australia”.

“Where will they go?” Hadley asked, to which Mr Albanese replied, “Well Nauru, offshore”.

Hadley told the Opposition Leader “good luck” as the pair continued to talk over each other.

“We will have the same policy as the government has,” Mr Albanese said.

The radio host disagreed with the Labor leader’s assertion, replying “no you won’t” and flagging again that the government has temporary protection visas.

“They will not be allowed to settle in Australia,” Mr Albanese said.

He was quizzed towards the end of the interview whether he would ask an anti-corruption commission – if it was established – to investigate the bullying allegations by three of his senior ministers towards Senator Kimberley Kitching before her death.

Penny Wong, Kristina Keneally, and Katy Gallagher have been accused of being Labor “mean girls” who ostracised and humiliated Ms Kitching during her time in parliament before she died from a suspected heart attack in March.

“I won’t ask them to investigate anything, that’s the whole point,” he said.

“They will be independent and won’t be controlled by politics. That’s as it should be.”

Hadley asked whether, if he was elected as prime minister, would stand up to denounce workplace bullying that he alleges Ms Kitching was subjected to.

“I don’t accept that characterisation that you’ve just given,” Mr Albanese said.

“I think Kimberley Kitching’s death was far too early and is a tragedy.”

The trio released a joint statement a week after Ms Kitching’s death saying the allegations were “untrue” and “other assertions which have been made are similarly inaccurate.”

The chat ended more calmer with Hadley thanking Mr Albanese for his time while he was battling COVID at his Marrickville home.

He will continue his campaign trail virtually and over the phone before he is expected to return in person later this week, providing he tests negative.