Transcript: Interview with Richard King, 2HD - 6 February 2025

TRANSCRIPT

Interview with Richard King, 2HD

6 February 2025

Topics: Hospital funding announcement, PM’s failure to negotiate a new 5-year National Health Reform Agreement, Covid deaths in aged care, Sam Kerr, Australia’s wine industr

E&OE…………………………………

Richard King: Public hospitals will receive additional funding in a single year deal, as the Government runs out of time to negotiate a five-year funding deal. Longer term funding arrangements remain contingent on States and Territories progressing reforms to the NDIS. My next guest is the Shadow Minister for Health. South Australian Liberal Senator Anne Ruston supports this extra funding but disappointed that a five-year deal hasn't been done. Senator Ruston joins me now. Good morning, Anne.

Anne Ruston: Good morning, Richard.

Richard King: You support this extra funding for public hospitals?

Anne Ruston: Look, we support funding going into supporting our hospitals, because we know they're under so much pressure because of the crisis in primary care. You know, people are avoiding seeing the doctor, so they are sicker by the time they are seeking treatment and that often means that they're ending up in hospital. So, we certainly understand that our hospitals are under a lot of pressure, so we support them getting the additional support to try and deal with some of that extra demand. But very, very disappointed that we've only seen a one-year deal. I mean, this is a five-year rolling deal that's been in place for some time and the Government has just completely failed to be able to negotiate with the States and Territories to be able to maintain that rolling agreement. So, very disappointing for the hospitals because they don't get certainty, and very disappointing for the public who rely on the hospitals, because we've only got something in place for 12 months when we really should have had something in place for five years.

Richard King: Well, as I understand it, the stumbling block is because States and Territories haven't agreed to this NDIS reform. Is that the case?

Anne Ruston: Yes, the Prime Minister decided about 18 months ago that he was going to tie the additional funding that we know that our hospital systems are needing, because of the pressure they're under, to reforms to the NDIS. Now, I don't think anybody disagrees that we need to make sure that we've got a strong and sustainable NDIS into the future to support people who live with disability, but to tie the two - By tying the two together, he's actually - And his failure to be able to negotiate to get the outcome that he clearly thought he was going to be able to get and he's failed to do so - Has now left our hospital systems with uncertainty into the future. And it's a pretty sad reflection that the Prime Minister can't even negotiate with the states that are of the same persuasion that he is. So, yeah, I'm very disappointed. But, of course, we support our hospitals getting extra funding.

Richard King: Look, I had quite a few callers earlier this week re vaccination rates in aged care. There was an article in the Telegraph and they were citing figures which indicated that in the last two years the deaths due to Covid in aged care were double what they were during the peak of the crisis, and they blamed it on low vaccination rates. I know you've said in the past the Government should be doing more for helping aged care, but then there’s mixed feelings about vaccinations these days. I did speak to Dr. Anthony Marinucci, who's a specialist in aged care, particularly dealing with patients with dementia, that a lot of the problem is the fact that it's not the people in aged care making the decisions, it's their family members. And you would accept that we're all a bit tired of vaccinations these days, and there are mixed messages coming out about particularly the Covid vaccinations, Anne.

Anne Ruston: Well, I think one of the things that we need to remember is right the way through Covid, there were many things that we did to try and protect ourselves from the transmission of Covid. And we know that older Australians are much more susceptible to having more severe impacts of Covid. So, we need to be providing the support to our nursing homes and our care staff of older Australians to make sure they've got all the things that they need to be able to support older Australians. And I think, you know, the Government when it was in opposition was very loud about criticising us in government, about how we were handling the support of older Australians, and yet we've heard crickets from them when under their watch, we've seen so many older Australians die in aged care because the aged care system just doesn't have the support that it needs. And it's not just vaccinations, but we are worried about the low vaccination rate because we know older Australians are well protected by vaccinations. But it's not the only thing that the Government's dropped the ball on when it comes to supporting older Australians and we need to see that change and it's really disappointing that we're hearing nothing from this government.

Richard King: What changes would you like to see implemented there in aged care?

Anne Ruston: Well, just providing additional support, particularly for residential aged care, where we know we've got a lot of older Australians living in the same place. Making sure that they've got all of the other supports, whether it be PPE support, because we know how much more expensive it is when they're using lots more equipment and protections, to make sure that when they dealing with older Australians they've got those protections in place. But we also need to remember this is where older Australians live, this is their homes and we have to make sure that we are respecting that as well. But, I think the disappointing thing is that we're not seeing the campaign so that older Australians have got the messages that they need to understand what options they have to protect themselves, and instead they've just been left on their own. And we're now seeing, tragically, a really high death rate from Covid in nursing homes as a result.

Richard King: It's 11 to 8. My guest Anne Ruston, Liberal Senator for South Australia, Shadow Health and Aged Care Minister, and also Shadow Minister for Sport. The Government has come to the table and agreed to implement mandatory minimum jail sentences for terror crimes and the display of hate symbols, something that certainly Peter Dutton has been pushing for some time. You obviously would agree with him that the Government has been very slow to come to the table on this one, Anne.

Anne Ruston: Yes, I think, you know, Australians have seen a very weak government when it comes to addressing the issues of anti-Semitism in this country. And I think the last 18 months, where the Government has had to be dragged kicking and screaming to do anything in order to protect the Jewish community in this country, has been a really sad indictment on Australia. You know, for Jewish Australians not to feel safe in their own country is an absolute travesty, and I think this Government's got a lot to answer for about how they've responded to this or their lack of response, I should say.

Richard King: A number of Australian politicians are very reluctant to comment on the US President's plan to take over Gaza, revealed yesterday. Where do you stand on this? Still very much for a two-state solution, Anne?

Anne Ruston: Look, absolutely. The Coalition's always supported a negotiated two-state solution, but right now I think we just need to keep reminding ourselves until every hostage is home, we just need to be focusing on that as the single outcome. We know that there are still hostages being held and we must get those hostages home. But a two-state solution must be negotiated. It can be only ever be achieved if it's negotiated.

Richard King: I'll get you to put the other hat on as Shadow Minister for Sport. Great news that our Matildas will be back in Australia in April playing a couple of friendlies against Korea, one in Sydney and one here in Newcastle. There's been a lot of talk about Sam Kerr thanks to the revelations of this court case, which is still running in London, and the footage doesn't present Sam in the best of light. Many people saying she's not necessarily a good role model and shouldn't return as the skipper of the Matildas. Do you have an opinion on that?

Anne Ruston: Well, obviously we're going to wait and see what the result of the court cases is. I mean, I'm not going to comment on something that's before the court. That would be completely inappropriate. But what I would say is that, you know, thanks to the Matildas, they have made Australia proud on the international sporting stage. What they did for Australia during the Women's World Cup was just extraordinary and I think all Australians will be welcoming the team back home to home soil. I know I'll be one who will be trying to work out how I'm going to be able to get to see them because they are just such a fantastic sporting team.

Richard King: Oh yeah, terrific. Look, you are a South Australian. Well, South Australia, just like everywhere in Australia, has been suffering extremes of weather. I think it was last week there was, up in the north there, you had a 48-degree day and I think that was the hottest recorded temperature anywhere in the world on that day. But I think wine lovers will be happy. I think the harvest has started over in WA, and they reckon it's going to be a good year, 2025, Anne, and I think you like a drop of red.

Anne Ruston: Well, you wouldn't be a South Australian coming from the Riverland, from a wine region, if you didn't like a drop of wine. But, you know, it's really great that we're heading into a good season, but of course we know the wine industry is doing it really tough at the moment and so we just need to make sure that we get behind them and put things in place, because the most important thing is that we sell our wine not just here in Australia but overseas, so that our wine producers and our grape growers are able to make a really good - Look, they're the best wine growers in the world, grape growers and wine makers in the world, and we just need to make sure that we give them the support to continue to be that.

Richard King: Well, in South Australia, just a close second behind the Hunter Valley as well, Anne.

Anne Ruston: We'll have a taste off.

Richard King: Look, appreciate your time this morning. Thank you very much for your time and enjoy the rest of your Thursday, I should say.

Anne Ruston: Thanks Richard.

ENDS