Transcript: Interview with Chris Kenny, Sky News - 14 January 2025

TRANSCRIPT

Interview with Chris Kenny, Sky News

14 January 2025

Topics: Australia Day, Labor's Mediscare campaigns, Albanese Government's primary healthcare crisis

E&OE…………………………………

CHRIS KENNY: Let's go to the other side of the political aisle now and catch up with Anne Ruston, who's the Shadow Health Minister. She joins me live from Adelaide. Thanks for joining us.

I think it's a sign of the times or the bizarre place that the left of politics have put themselves in, I think, that Peter Dutton's wholesome support for Australia Day has created some sort of a political conundrum for Anthony Albanese. He can't bring himself to match this support for our National Day.

SENATOR ANNE RUSTON: It's a completely unbelievable situation where a Prime Minister of the country lacks the capacity to show any leadership whatsoever about our national day. And I mean, so many Australians, whether they be our first Australians or people who've come to this country subsequently, those that have recently arrived, those of us that have been here for a long time, I mean, we take pride in our country. And I think what it reflects is that there are obviously some people in the Labor Party, as there are in other political parties, who are actually ashamed of Australia. And that makes me really, really sad, really sad. Because it's not to say that we don't have to accept that there was some things that happened in our past that aren't great, but we have to celebrate that we're a fantastic multicultural nation. We're the best nation on Earth, as far as I'm concerned. And we've got a Prime Minister that can't bring himself to actually say how great the country he leads actually is. It's just quite bizarre.

CHRIS KENNY: Yeah, I mean, you're absolutely right. There are problems in our past and problems in our present and all the rest of it, and we can be robust enough to discuss them. But you think seriously around the world and examine the place, find a country with not just a better current situation, but a more benevolent history, really. It's hard to find. I mean, who would you throw into that category? Maybe the New Zealanders could give us a run for our money. I don't know.

ANNE RUSTON: Look, I'm sure you could probably find a little country here or there, but, you know, having had the privilege of travelling to many countries around the world, I've got to say, the one thing that you always like at the end of your holiday or end of your business trip is you're getting on a plane, hopefully a Qantas jet, and you're flying back to Australia. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

CHRIS KENNY: Yeah, sing it. Now, let’s get back to your portfolio health. It's very clear already that Labor will attempt to run a Mediscare again. They seem to do it every election. The Coalition are going to somehow attack Medicare. But how is it performing under Labor? I don't think bulk billing rates are going particularly well under Labor, are they?

ANNE RUSTON: Well, this is the ridiculousness of the position that the Labor Party is taking, and I can only imagine that the reason that they're throwing out this Mediscare campaign - And they're being more and more blatant about the lies that they're telling around it. I mean, it's not just trying to fiddle with the truth. They are actually flat out lying about the record of the Coalition Government - Because they're trying to cover up for the fact that they have absolutely failed in the two and a half years that they've been in government. Every metric that we measure our health care system by has gone backwards. You know, bulk billing has dropped by 11%. We've seen the highest out of pocket costs that have ever been, that Australians have ever paid to see a doctor. 1.5 million Australians last year actually said they didn't visit a doctor because they said they couldn't afford to do so. And I mean, at a state and territory level, you've only got to look at the ramping crisis, and all of this can be laid firmly at the feet of this government because of their crisis that they have created in primary care.

So no amount of lies, no amount of spin, no amount of scare campaigns can detract from the facts. And the facts are that this government has done a worse job of any government I have ever seen when it comes to health care.

CHRIS KENNY: Yeah, we'll keep looking at that in the build up to the election. Thanks for joining us, Anne. I appreciate it. Anne Ruston there live from Adelaide.

ENDS