TRANSCRIPT
Interview with Narelda Jacobs, 10 News
19 November 2024
Topics: The Albanese Government’s aged care Bill, removal of caps on home care services, international student caps, the Government’s electoral reforms, gender pay gap
E&OE…………………………………
Narelda Jacobs: Senator Anne Ruston is Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care and joins us after her Liberal Party room meeting. Senator, let's start with home care packages. You must be happy Labor is no longer pursuing a limit to cleaning of one hour a week, and 18 hours a year for gardening services. What does it mean for the aged care bill?
Anne Ruston: Well, I think the most important thing that this signals is that, at last, the Government's listened to at least something that's come up through the inquiry process, and that is that they haven't consulted and the challenges around the choice and control that is denied to older Australians if they were having cleaning and gardening capped. So, we're very pleased to see the Government has eventually capitulated on this one issue. But there are many, many more things that are in this bill that we would like to see the Government be more transparent about and to make sure that older Australians and their families are taken on this journey, which is something that hasn't happened until we got the inquiry up.
Narelda Jacobs: So will these aged care reforms comfortably pass through this session?
Anne Ruston: Well, look, we're really hopeful that we'll be able to get to a place where we can give older Australians the certainty that they need, that they've got a new rights-based act in place, so that their choice and control and they are the centre of our aged care sector going forward. But unfortunately, there are some challenges in the Bill and some shortcomings in the Bill that we'll be seeking to change. But we're very hopeful we'll be able to give that certainty to older Australians over the next few days.
Narelda Jacobs: Let's move to international student number caps now. Why has the Coalition pulled support to cap international students?
Anne Ruston: Well, what we've said is that the Bill that has been put forward by the Government does nothing to address the real challenges that are before us in relation to the housing crisis that has been created by, you know, the migration bungle of this government. And so, we don't want a piecemeal approach to this. The Government needs to be serious and come to the Parliament with a holistic approach to deal with the challenges that are before us. We don't believe this bill is going to deliver the outcome the Government says it is.
Narelda Jacobs: Senator, Peter Dutton effectively blamed international students for our housing crisis and went quite hard in campaigning for these changes. So why weaponise overseas university students then drop the issue?
Anne Ruston: Well, what we're saying is that if you're going to solve for this issue, you need to solve for it properly. I mean, the Bill that we've got before us does nothing to do that. It hasn't addressed the issues of rural and regional universities. It hasn't consulted - The Government hasn't consulted with the sector more broadly about the impacts of the specific things that are contained in this bill. And we think there'll be a whole heap of consequences to this bill that'll just simply make the matter worse.
Narelda Jacobs: Will the Opposition be supporting Labor's electoral reform bill? The crossbench says it's a stitch up by the major parties. Is it?
Anne Ruston: Well, certainly we saw the bill yesterday for the first time. Well certainly I saw the Bill yesterday for the first time, and I haven't had a chance to work my way through it. But the one thing I think the Coalition absolutely has always stood for, and that is fairness and transparency in our election process so that Australians can have trust and confidence that the people that they vote for are the ones that get elected to government. So obviously, we will wait until we've had the opportunity to further analyse the Bill that's been put before the Parliament, and we reserve our judgement as to what we will do once we've had a chance to have a look at the Bill.
Narelda Jacobs: Is the aim of it to lock out independents and minor parties?
Anne Ruston: The aim of this bill is to make sure that we have a fair and transparent electoral system. Well, that's certainly what the Government has been saying the aim of this bill is. Obviously, we need the opportunity to look at the Bill to make sure that we're satisfied that that's the aim that is being achieved by the Bill.
Narelda Jacobs: We just heard from the ACTU President a short time ago about gender pay and the gap. What's your message to women now working for free until the end of the year because of the 11.5% wage gap, which equates to 48 days of free work?
Anne Ruston: Well, I think it just says there's more work to be done to make sure that we close the gender pay gap. But you know, it is pleasing to see that over the previous government and this government, we have seen a continued downward trajectory on that gap. But clearly there is more work to be done. We also need to remember that in a cost-of-living crisis, this closing of the gap, we don't want it to be attributed to women having to go back to work when they don't want to just to address cost of living issues. But the reality is that we all need to work really hard to make sure we close that gap.
Narelda Jacobs: Thank you very much for your time. Senator Anne Ruston there.
ENDS
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