Transcript: Interview with Jaynie Seal, Sky News Breakfast - 4 September 2025

TRANSCRIPT

INTERVIEW WITH JAYNIE SEAL, SKY NEWS BREAKFAST

4 September 2025

Topics: Coalition forced the Government to release new home care packages, Labor’s blown-out home care wait list, varroa mite detected in South Australia

E&OE…………………………………

JAYNIE SEAL: Joining us live now is the Shadow Health and Aged Care Minister, Senator Anne Ruston. Senator, thank you very much for joining us. Yes, an interesting day there. It certainly got through. Do you think it was bipartisan? 

ANNE RUSTON: Well, no, I don't think it was bipartisan, until it had to be bipartisan when the Government realised that it was going to lose not only the first vote that it lost when it refused to accept the 20,000 packages put forward for immediate release - They obviously realised that that was going continue throughout the day when the other amendments got put forward. So, the Government capitulated and decided that the least worst line of action was obviously to accept the fact they were going to lose and so went out claiming some sort of deal had been done. But, as you saw on the floor of the Senate yesterday morning, the Labor Party actually voted against those packages being released and then a matter of about an hour later, the Minister was out there claiming that they were going to support those packages.

But look, at the end of the day, it was a win for all of those older Australians who were waiting for home care packages, so we were pleased to have had that victory for them, and we should focus on that. But the Government should not see this as some sort of a deal. They quite clearly were dragged kicking and screaming, and at the final minute, they had to fall over and agree to this deal, because otherwise they were going to get beaten on the floor of the Senate anyway. 

JAYNIE SEAL: And as you mentioned, the focus is on the people needing this care. As we look further ahead, Senator, what are you going to be looking for in terms of the amount of packages, the facilities that are there or perhaps need to be extended, and also the amount of jobs? Do we have enough? 

ANNE RUSTON: Well, the sector have told us that there's more than adequate resources to absorb the packages that were agreed to yesterday, but one of the great tragedies of yesterday was that yesterday morning for the first time we actually found out that despite the Minister having said there was about 87,000 people on the wait list who had been assessed as needing packages but didn't have them, the amount at the end of July was actually nearly 109,000, and we've had over a month since then and the amount on the waitlist is continuing to grow. So even though 83,000 packages when they were announced was enough to deal with the waitlist, now we see that there's at least another 25,000 people on that waitlist, so there's more work to do for them to get access.

But we also found out last week that there is in excess of 120,000 older Australians who are just waiting for the assessment to determine the level of package that they're likely to need. So, we're talking in excess of 230,000 older Australians as we sit here today that are in limbo about getting their care. So, whilst yesterday was a victory for some people, there's a lot more work to do to ensure that older Australians are getting the care that they're assessed as needing, when they need it. 

JAYNIE SEAL: Senator, I wanted to ask you about varroa mite, because yesterday there was an announcement. The Department of Primary Industries and regions inspectors in South Australia have detected the deadly varroa mite parasite, and that is the first time in South Australia it has been detected and I believe it's in your neck of the woods around the Riverina district. What can you tell us on this because it's considered to be the greatest threat to Australia's honey industry. 

ANNE RUSTON: Well, it's not only the greatest threat to the honey industry, it's also a significant threat to agriculture because pollination is also something that we use our bees for. And, in South Australia, we also have the most incredible native bee, the Ligurian bee that's on Kangaroo Island. So, this is devastating news. In my home area of the Riverland, I mean, we have been suffering some pretty significant economic shocks, not the least of which the hardship of the wine industry, and this is just another blow to the Riverland.

But, you know, what I'd say to the South Australian Government particularly, I mean, your biosecurity measures have been failing us now for years. I mean, the reason we have a fruit fly outbreak that has not got under control is because of the lack of action of the South Australia Government in response to that. Please, South Australian Government, act quickly on this, so that we can eradicate this varroa mite as soon as possible, because it will be catastrophic for South Australia, as it has been in other places, if it is allowed to escape from the confinement it is at the moment. So, yeah it's really really sad news for the Riverland, but South Australian Government please do something about it and do it now. Don't monitor, don't trap, actually get in there and do something about it. 

ENDS