TRANSCRIPT
ABC RADIO ADELAIDE BREAKFAST
4 June 2025
Topics: Disability and NDIS portfolio, Labor’s bulk billing promises, South Australian Liberal Party, energy policy
E&OE…………………………………
Rory McClaren: South Australian Senator Anne Ruston is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. She is the Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, the NDIS and Sport. Anne Ruston, good morning.
Anne Ruston: Good morning.
Rory McClaren: Anne Ruston, how do you juggle that policy mix?
Anne Ruston: Well, actually, it's a very good policy mix to put together because one of the things that I've often said in my time when I had health and aged care in the previous government is that we needed to look at the care sector as a whole. And I think by putting the NDIS and disability in with health and aged care gives us a real opportunity to look at the care sector as a whole, so that when people - because we're often talking about the same people, so that it's the same Minister and the same Shadow Minister, because Mark Butler's got these portfolios as well - but we can actually look at it in a more holistic way.
Sonya Feldhoff: Senator, it's interesting though, there's a whole lot of stuff around health that you have to deal with, a lot fighting for priority. When you sit down and look at it, and we look ahead to the next parliamentary term, what is your priority or what do you think are the major issues that you need to deal on the health front?
Anne Ruston: Look, I think the most important one is to make sure that people are getting timely and affordable access to the care that they need, when they need it. Because one of the things that was really apparent in the last three years has been that people were putting off going to see the doctor because they couldn't afford to or they couldn't get in. We're seeing people much sicker before they interact with the health system, which often means that they're turning up at a hospital instead of going and getting in to see their doctor. So I think that has to be the focus - about early intervention, primary care, prevention. Because it's not just great for the individual because obviously they're getting the care they need when they need it, but it's also great for the Budget because people are actually seeking care when it's not as expensive it is when you end up in a hospital.
Jules Schiller: Do you believe that the incentives that Mark Butler unveiled during the election campaign will bring up bulk billing rates?
Anne Ruston: Well, I certainly hope they will. And I know that when we were last in government, we had bulk billing rates at around 88%, so it's certainly doable. But we do - I mean, obviously, I want to see Australians being able to get access to affordable and bulk billed services when they go to see the doctor. I think the thing that was most disappointing was the misleading sort of message that was being given by the Prime Minister that Australians are getting free access to health care now. And, I mean, nothing could be further from the truth. So - but I mean, obviously, the most important thing in all of this is for Australians to get that affordable access to health care when they need it.
Rory McClaren: Now, we will be speaking to Mark Butler, the Federal Health Minister, next week. He will be joining us in the studio and I'm sure he will have a different view on that particular comment, Senator Ruston.
Sonya Feldhoff: Now, Senator Ruston, last weekend the Liberals here in South Australia had their State Council meeting and you addressed that with your Federal report. What do you make of the State Party directing the Federal Liberal Party with some fairly significant recommendations that were passed and how was it received by the Federal Party?
Anne Ruston: So, what happened on the weekend was a meeting that we have very frequently amongst the grassroots members of the Liberal Party in South Australia, and they debate a whole number of policies and they make recommendations - Recommendations to the State Parliamentary Party and recommendations to the Federal Parliamentary Party. These decisions are not binding. And so - But you know, this is the great thing about the Liberal party. We're a broad church and people put up a wide range of different policy positions. And obviously, they're taken into consideration as are all the other voices of Australians, whether they be Liberal Party members or not, around the country, when we make policy decisions.
Rory McClaren: But Senator Ruston, does it make sense for the State Division to be suggesting to the Federal Party to move away from Net Zero before a review of the Federal election campaign has been completed?
Anne Ruston: Well, obviously, we are looking at all policies. I think we've been pretty clear that what we took to the last election we are going to review. I don't think anybody could suggest that the election result was a good one for the Liberal Party and we know that we've got a lot of work to do. I think one of the things that we have been very clear about around energy policy is that we have to get energy policy right, and part of that is making sure that we play our part in reducing emissions. But we also need to have a strong and stable energy grid, because crashing the energy grid would be an absolute catastrophe. So we need to make sure we've got a strong grid that provides affordable and reliable power. That's where our policy has to go. But as I said, we're happy to take views from everybody about how we might get there.
Jules Schiller: One of the views from Alex Antic, and he put this up in his social media campaign, is that Net Zero will win you votes. And he put a video of Donald Trump saying, "we get sick of winning." Do you believe that abandoning Net Zero will help you win votes in the next election?
Anne Ruston: Look, I think what will help us win votes at the next election is to have a strong energy policy that focuses on those two really important things that I believe Australians want. They want us to play our part in reducing emissions, but they also want affordable and reliable power and a strong grid. That's what will win us votes at the next election.
Rory McClaren: Senator Ruston, since the weekend, an email has made its way to me. It, I think, could be described as a call to arms, and it relates to the AGM which is taking place in the Sturt FEC in a couple of weeks' time. And the contents of this email, it writes, "we need to ensure true, sensible Liberals show up in large numbers at this AGM to push back against the scourge of illiberalism that has been infecting our party." It goes on to raise concerns about the potential takeover of that particular branch and what it would mean to pre-select someone to win back Sturt at the 2028 election. Is this the moderate and other parts of the Liberal Party at a state level trying to push back against what has happened to the division here in South Australia in recent years?
Anne Ruston: Well, look, I'm not aware of the letter that you're referring to, so I won't pass any comment on the specifics of that letter. But all I can say is that we are a really broad church in the Liberal Party and we welcome anybody into our party who holds those views, values and beliefs that underpin liberalism. So I would be encouraging anybody who is a member of the Liberal Party who lives in whatever electorate to turn up to their AGMs and have their say about the issues that relate to the Party.
Jules Schiller: I guess this email is saying that even though you're a broad church, one part of the Liberal Party, and we're talking about the hard right, is more broader now than the other. And that's an issue for selecting candidates in seats like Sturt.
Anne Ruston: Well, one of the things that I've always done, and I'm not going to change my position on now, is not discussing publicly internal party matters, but I would refer back to my previous comment that, you know, we are a broad church and we welcome everybody into our party and people are entirely at liberty to have their say about what they believe in and what they don't believe in. I think our party is the stronger for the fact that we do welcome a really broad range of people, but I also would encourage every member of the Party to get engaged and become involved, more involved if you're not, in having your say about how the Party moves forward. Because the more people that are there, the better the chance you've got of a robust debate.
Sonya Feldhoff: But it goes to the future direction of the Party, which is now very much in the sights of every Liberal person around, because you've got to decide for your very existence what happens in the future. As a member of the moderates, are you hearing amongst other moderates that it's time for you to fight harder? And maybe have you been apathetic up until now about that?
Anne Ruston: Look, one of the things that I have always focused on is making sure that I do my job to the utmost of my ability, and first and foremost I'm a Senator for South Australia representing the people of South Australia. So that's my main focus as a member of the Federal Parliament. But I think the most important thing is that we are all tolerant of each other's views. I mean, as I said we're a broad church which means that we don't all necessarily agree on everything, so I think that the most important thing is that everybody respects everybody else's points of view and that we do have robust debates. I mean, we have to have robust policy debates, that's how you get the best possible outcomes. So I welcome everybody being part of that debate and I really do look forward to that going forward, as I have in the past.
Rory McClaren: Senator Anne Ruston, thank you very much for your time this morning.
Anne Ruston: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.
ENDS
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