BEN FORDHAM: Here's Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Good morning to you, PM.

 

PRIME MINISTER:  G'day, Ben.

 

FORDHAM:  We've only got a few minutes but the Christchurch gunman who took 51 innocent lives has been sentenced to life without parole.

 

PRIME MINISTER:  Good.

 

FORDHAM:  There's a suggestion in New Zealand that he should be sent back to Australia to serve his sentence here.

 

PRIME MINISTER:  Well, there's been no request formally made by the New Zealand government for that. I spoke to Prime Minister Ardern yesterday after the press conference I held here in Canberra and our first concern is the interests of the families. Yesterday, that was just prior to that sentence being handed down, we would want to know how the families felt about all of this. But it also has quite significant broader implications. I mean, we have many New Zealanders in our prisons here, as you know, we send them back to New Zealand after their sentences have been completed. So there's a lot of those issues.

 

But, I mean, this is a very rare case and it's an appalling and abhorrent case and the Prime Minister and I are open to having discussions about this but there's been no requests made so, you know, we're sensitive to that issue but we would both want to know, particularly what the family - how the families felt about this. I've met one of those family members, I've met quite a few of them actually, Farid Ahmed, who's just amazing, amazing individual. Lost his wife in that terrorist attack and he has a grace and a forgiveness that it would be difficult for many of us to ever contemplate or understand.

  

FORDHAM:  We'll see what happens there. Just some quick ones; the Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has had a crack at you over your crackdown on foreign interference. Do you make any apologies? 

 

PRIME MINISTER:  Of course not and Dan will get on with his job this morning. I'll get on with mine. We're both professional leaders, we've got a lot of things to do and it's the Federal Government's responsibility for foreign affairs and State and Territory Governments, Local Governments, universities in the cases that apply to them, they have to line up with the foreign affairs position of the Commonwealth Government. That's what we're elected to do, that's what we are doing, protecting our national interest, promoting our national interests, and we can't have any governments around the country going off in some other direction, that undercuts us. It undercuts us internationally and that's our job to look after that and he has his jobs and we're helping him with those at the moment down in Victoria with the terrible pandemic.

 

FORDHAM:  You're considering special flights to bring home 18,000 Australians stuck overseas. If they happen, who will pay for the flights? 

 

PRIME MINISTER:  Well, I've got to say that report I think is a bit misplaced. We're always trying to help people who are trying to get home and there is a lot of pressure on that. About 4,000 people are coming home each week through commercial flights. Where there are really urgent situations like was the case in Beirut, more than 200 Australians we've been able to get out of Beirut and get back and I appreciate the support from the NSW Government that we had exemptions around the caps to enable that so we're going to continue working with people around the world, through our consular officials. And the government is looking at how we can provide even further support for people in that situation. Right now, the cap needs to stay where it is because it's necessary with that sensitive situation we've got with the virus but Gladys Berejiklian and I, we're looking at that every two weeks.

 

FORDHAM:  There's another report today saying that you're going to consider offering unlimited English classes to migrants to Australia. Is that true? 

 

PRIME MINISTER:  Yeah, but the Immigration Minister today will be speaking about this issue. What it basically means is this:  If you can speak English, you've got a higher chance of getting a job and I want more people in jobs and when people are in jobs they're not on welfare and so having ways to help people learn English when they're in this country. I mean, if you're coming here on a skilled visa, there are English-language tests and you've got to pass those to get the visa, but there are others who come on family programs and things like that. If they have English, they can get a job and this is about jobs.

 

FORDHAM:  I know you've got a busy morning. Just quickly before you go, you uploaded another photo to social media last night of you cooking a curry. Given our relationship with China at the moment, are you prepared to have a go at a Mongolian lamb or a sweet and sour pork? 

 

PRIME MINISTER:  I reckon that's a great idea and that was Saturday night, in fact, but, you know, it's a bit of my down time. I got some lovely messages from people in Melbourne because I sort of started a chat with them about all that and they were telling me what they were cooking on Saturday night so, you know, we wish them all the best. I'm pleased that in Sydney, we don't have those lockdowns or in Brisbane or elsewhere and I hope we can get to a point soon where those lockdowns and other restrictions, particularly border restrictions, can be lifted soon.

 

FORDHAM:  Alright. Are you getting any time off this weekend? 

 

PRIME MINISTER: It's always busy every day, Ben. But I'll take time out for the Sharks and family, of course, they're coming down to see me. Looking forward to that.

 

FORDHAM:  Alright, and I know that you're catching up with the Bush Summit today, with the Premier Gladys Berejiklian, and I know that people in New South Wales regional areas will appreciate that.

 

PRIME MINISTER:  Yeah, I'm looking forward to that. Have a bit to say about the hardships they're going at the moment with the borders but appreciate what we have been able to do with Gladys in trying to alleviate some of that but you put a border anywhere, Ben, it's going to cause difficulties. That's why the best solution is to get this thing under control in Victoria and then we can open up again and get going again.

 

FORDHAM: We appreciate your time. Thanks very much.

 

PRIME MINISTER:  Thanks a lot, Ben. All the best.