Prime Minister, welcome back.
Today, you called the decision by the Israeli Defense Force not to conduct a criminal investigation into the killing of Zomi Frankham outrageous. Is it a cover up?
Well, it clearly is an outrage and there's a need for a far more transparent and clear explanation from the Israeli government other than what we've received.
Does that mean a further some form of independent investigation?
Well, that I would have thought is one of the options. That certainly should be considered, but it's certainly not good enough that on World Humanitarian Day of all days, they release this so-called report that essentially says, 'Yes, we're responsible, but nothing to see here.' Clearly the death of Zomi Frankham and her colleagues represented the best of Australians out there in a dangerous area helping her fellow global citizens as she had in other parts of the world that were suffering conflict as well. And that's why it deserves better. Her family deserved better and frankly Australia deserves better.
And to be clear, you will press the Israeli government for some form of independent investigation.
Well, we will press the Israeli government. The direction we have said today will discuss with Miss Frankham's family. They deserve to be consulted on these issues and we'll do that and then we'll make an announcement in coming days.
Is it the very least that the Israelis can do to release the audio of the drone strikes that targeted then killed Zomi?
Well, that's consistent with transparency, which is something that we've called for from day one.
Also, today the Victorian premier has established a Royal Commission into corruption in the building industry. You didn't want a Royal Commission in Victoria. Has the premier made the wrong decision?
No. The premier has made the right decision and we welcome it. There'd already been of course actions at the Commonwealth level. I expelled John Setka from the Labor Party and we put the CFMEU.
But you've never been keen on the idea of a royal commission in Victoria.
Well, it's not up to us to do state-based royal commissions. What it was clear is that this organization needed cleaning up. That's why we put them into administration, which is the strongest action that we could take.
Will you withhold further money, billions of dollars in contributions from the federal government to the Victorian government for the suburban rail loop until the Royal Commission is over?
We won't punish Victorians. What had occurred under the former federal government was Victoria at one stage was getting 8% of the national infrastructure funding. We want things to be built in Victoria. This Royal Commission will undertake its work and certainly the Commonwealth will cooperate with that but we won't punish Victorians on infrastructure because of some of the actions of some of the people involved with this.
But how do you know that the money that you will you have contributed and will contribute to Victoria won't end up in the hands of bikies or organized crime because there are there is clear evidence that it is an ongoing problem in Victoria, not an historical problem.
Well, the CFMEU have been put into administration. If there's any breaches of the law, then it's important that law enforcement take action.
I want to talk to you about gambling reform. Did you take the view that online gambling is so popular in Australia that you couldn't go further without suffering some kind of electoral backlash? Have you moved to restrict it further?
No. Let's be very clear, Sarah. We had already undertaken the most significant reform of gambling in Australia.
You always say that it's coming off it's coming off an almost zero base.
It's a fact that we're the first government to take action and in the legislation that was passed this week in parliament that takes that even further. So it will allow to add to bet stop in which some 60,000 Australians have been able to register 38% of whom have registered to permanently exclude themselves from any gambling. That has made a difference. Now we will have ad stop where people can take themselves off receiving any ads on any of their devices or online whatsoever. This is significant reform. It will take for example the betting agencies currently involved with something like 14 or 15 of the NRL clubs that'll be gone. The naming of grounds sporting grounds with sponsorship gone.
By 2031 I think the last one.
No, gone in terms of we're not breaching existing contracts which are there and therefore having to compensate with taxpayers. What we are doing is taking very strong action that will make an enormous difference and I think it's very positive reform whilst acknowledging that the problem isn't someone having a bet on a Saturday if that's what they do.
This is this is Prime Minister, if I may, this has never been about the question of gambling, has it? This is not about flutter on a Saturday. That's where we disagree. This is about advertising predatory practices in gambling advertisements.
Well, for some people, it is about gambling. Sarah, it is about a view from whatever perspective, be it a moral one, of wanting to stop all gambling. What we have wanted to do is to make sure that we deal with the issue of problem gambling and that's why we have taken strong action in this legislation as well about incentives for example so that if you open up an account you can't get the inducements for 14 days if you have been on bet stop and go off.
What happens what happens on the 15th day because what we saw in the Senate inquiry was allegations of predatory behavior so who's protecting someone on day 15?
Well, what we saw in the Senate inquiry, if the allegations that were came out of that are true, then.
