E&OE TRANSCRIPT
SUBJECTS: Federal Budget; Albanese Government to make cheaper medicines even cheaper; Coalition’s Nuclear Plan.
KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: Budget looms next week. So, much uncertainty swirling around internationally. Talk that big pharma is trying to put pressure on the Trump administration to go hard against us in relation to the PBS. Let's hear a little of what the Prime Minister had to say on this and then we'll get your thoughts.
[EXCERPT]
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: We’ll stand our ground. This is not for sale and is not up for negotiation. This is a part of the Free Trade Agreement because Labor insisted as a condition of our support for the Free Trade Agreement. So, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is a part of who we are as Australians and we will always stand up for it. It’s not up for negotiation.
[EXCERPT ENDS]
GILBERT: Zoe McKenzie, first to you. Anne Ruston has said it's not on the table. Peter Dutton had a similar message as well. It looks like some rocky times ahead though.
ZOE MCKENZIE, MEMBER FOR FLINDERS: Honestly, it was almost laughable what the Prime Minister just said ‘Oh, no, under us, we'll hold the fort’. Well, let's be clear. That US Free Trade Agreement was negotiated by the Coalition and the protections for the PBS were put in place for them. I personally lost months of my life negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership while we were in government and did China, Japan, South Korea and the TPP, from which the US later walked away. But may I say we were in the trenches for months precisely to protect the pbs. And you compare that now to a Labor government that can't even get a phone call through to the President of the United States, telling us don’t worry, we're the saviour of Medicare. It is absurd. The protections that currently exist for the PBS were all delivered by the Coalition.
GILBERT: Kate Thwaites, should the Government recognise there's bipartisanship on this to protect our PBS?
KATE THWAITES, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY, AGEING AND WOMEN: Kieran, Australians want an Australian health system. That's really clear. And the PBS is a crucial part of the Australian health system, as is Medicare. And Labor is the party of Medicare. We are the party that stands up for cheaper medicines. As we've announced today, under the PBS, no one will pay more than $25 for a script when they go to the chemist. That's going to save Australians more than $200 million a year. This is the work that Labor governments do. We've seen the Liberals track record when it comes to Medicare. Peter Dutton, when he was Health Minister, slashed money from public hospitals. He did try to end bulk billing. He was in fact voted worst ever Health Minister by Australian GPs. So, when it comes to the PBS, when it comes to Medicare, Australians know who stands up for an Australian style health system. One where we do get the care we need. Where your healthcare is linked to your Medicare card and not your credit card. And that's certainly what this Government is fighting to protect.
GILBERT: We’ve got, as I’ve touched on –
MCKENZIE: Kieran, you can't keep saying that and hope it makes it true. In my electorate alone, the bulk billing rate went from 82% under the Coalition at the end of their last term to 71%. 265,000 people less got a bulk billed experience at their local GP. Nationally it was even worse. It went from 88% down to 77%. I've had emergency meetings this week with the Frankston Hospital that's about to lose funding for its National Centre for Healthy Ageing. A similar situation faces the Clinical Trials Hub in Rosebud. These people say one thing about being strong on Medicare but look at the fine print. The money is coming out and the bulk billing decreased happened on their watch.
THWAITES: We’re not the ones that slashed funding. That happened under the Liberal government.
MCKENZIE: The experience of a person on the street, Kate, is infinitely worse.
THWAITES: What happened was that your government slashed health funding. Peter Dutton as Health Minister tried to do away with bulk billing. So, if we're talking about experience, if we're talking about track record, our track record is putting more money into healthcare, into public hospitals –
MCKENZIE: I’m talking about my electorate and my constituents who face a 10% degrade in terms of Medicare and lost to critical [indistinct]. Kate, the experience in Flinders is different. I'm about to lose two really important assets for the southern Mornington Peninsula, the Clinical Trials Hub and in Frankston serving the National Centre for Healthy Ageing up and down the Peninsula. Both of them are going to fail under your Government because you're not going to fund them in next Tuesday's budget.
GILBERT: I want to, I want to skip all this. Let's go to the budget and on this expenditure forecast of not just the budget itself, but off-budget expenditure, $100 billion across the forward estimates. Zoe, does Peter Dutton, and I'm asking you this, obviously I know that the Treasurer's got his, the accountability and he's going to be on this program in about 50 minutes from now. I'll speak to the Treasurer live from Treasury as he's working and finalising the budget. But to you, Zoe, does Peter Dutton need to draw a line in terms of where the Coalition's going to say that spending has got to stop. We need responsibility in terms of budget management rather than just ticking off everything to stop having a fight.
MCKENZIE: Every time Jim Chalmers gets up, he says that they're delivering responsible economic management. Next week we will see a budget hand down that commits this country to $1 trillion in public debt. $1 trillion in public debt. And all at the same time, Australians are now paying more tax than before. People can now see what sits behind their switcheroo on stage three tax cuts, and that is that the average tax rate of the average Australian has gone up from about 23, 24% to about 27%. This Government is taking more out of your pocket, not less. The hard work is always left to my side to do in terms of going through budgets, working out where savings can be diligently made. Frankly, there'll be nothing left for this Government to give away on Tuesday night. It has been an absurd, obscene spendathon since the beginning of January, but that record will sit on their shoulders from here on in.
GILBERT: Kate Thwaites, how important is this, the fourth budget that Jim Chalmers delivers, not just to set up the sort of political equation, but to also set up our economic and budgetary stability? Because every economist you talk to, analysts are saying that we need to be a bit braver here.
THWAITES: Well firstly, Kieran, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to hear Zoe saying she doesn't support stage three tax cuts. They’re more money in the pockets of Australian workers, because of course, the Liberals and Peter Dutton have voted against every cost of living relief measure that we have brought forward to this Parliament. So, the work we have done since being in government on the budget has been to put together a responsible budget that also supports Australians with cost of living measures. And every time we've done that, Peter Dutton and the Liberals have stood in the way. And in fact, what are the proposals they have on the table to apparently show that they are better budget managers? It is an expensive $600 billion nuclear scheme which is going to cost Australians when it comes to their power bills. And now it's a thought bubble around a referendum. Referendums also cost money and we certainly don't need the one in this thought bubble. So, we have been doing the responsible work. When we came to government, inflation had a six in front of it, it's now got a two in front of it. We have been providing cost of living relief, including those tax cuts that Zoe is not in favour of. We will continue to do that work. We know it is a difficult time. We do want to support Australians. We will do that in a responsible way. And what we see from the other side is, as I said, a plan for a massive nuclear scheme. $600 billion that is coming into people's power bills and for a referendum that it seems even Peter Dutton's colleagues can't back him in on.
GILBERT: Kate Thwaites and Zoe McKenzie, I think we're going to hopefully see you next week for the budget week and budget reply and have you both in the studio with us then. Look forward to it. Thank you both.