TRANSCRIPT
Interview with Sally Sara, ABC Radio National
24 February 2025
Topics: The Coalition’s $9 billion Medicare commitment, Labor’s primary healthcare crisis, Australians living with a disability
E&OE…………………………………
SALLY SARA: Well, Senator Anne Ruston is the Shadow Minister for Health and joins me now. Senator Ruston, welcome back to Breakfast.
ANNE RUSTON: Thanks, Sally.
SALLY SARA: Why is the Coalition supporting this policy?
ANNE RUSTON: Well, primary care is absolutely essential for Australians and we've seen over the last three years, by every metric, Australians are finding it harder and more expensive to see a doctor. And so, we absolutely support Australians having access to primary care. We know that when they're getting access to primary care, they're less likely to need hospital treatment, which is more expensive and we know that our hospitals are under extraordinary pressure. So, we see an investment in primary care as an investment in a healthy Australia. And it's not only good for the health of individuals, but it's also good for the health of the Budget. So, we are very, very focused on making sure Australians get the care [inaudible]. Right now, they're not.
SALLY SARA: Senator Ruston, we're having a few problems with the line there. We'll try and push on as best that we can. We're getting a few dropouts there. Were there concerns from the Coalition about what's known as a Labor Mediscare campaign if you didn't support this?
ANNE RUSTON: Well, there is certainly no doubt the Federal Government have been very clear that they're going to use lies, distractions, distortions in this campaign in relation to health. And they're doing so because clearly they're trying to distract from what has been a pretty bad track record since they've been in government when it comes to health. I mean, the fact that people are paying more out of pocket costs than they've ever paid before. 1.5 million Australians have actually chosen not to see the doctor last year simply because they said they couldn't afford to. And Australians know this because when they try and book an appointment with their doctor, they have trouble getting in, and when they go to pay for their doctor's appointment, they know because it's hitting their pocket. So, I think, we are going to have to expect, unfortunately, a scare campaign. I mean, yesterday at the launch, the Prime Minister and Mr. Butler spent more time talking about Peter Dutton and the Liberal Party than they did about themselves. So, I think we can expect a scare campaign. But the facts don't lie. The truth of all of this is quite clear in the statistics. Under their watch, the health system in Australia has been significantly diminished.
SALLY SARA: Labor has also been pointing to the track record of the Coalition, including the freeze of indexation in 2013 and Tony Abbott also trying to introduce a $7 co-payment for seeing the doctor. Particularly the indexation freeze, that has never been fully rectified. Does the Coalition take responsibility for that?
ANNE RUSTON: Well, I think what we need to do is we need to look at what's before us right now. And I think Peter Dutton was very clear yesterday, and he's been very clear right the way through his time as the Leader of the Opposition, that we absolutely believe in general practice, we believe in providing support to the hospital system and we believe that Medicare is the central piece of our primary care system. Labor can talk about history all they like, but what we want to talk about is what's before us at the moment, because the reality is that under every metric that you can possibly apply to health, it has gone backwards under this government. And they can talk about anything they like, but they are refusing to talk about their own record in health.
SALLY SARA: But do you concede that if there was an indexation freeze for six years, which there was, that's never been readjusted, that the rebates that we have now are still affected by that policy? They're lower because of that policy.
ANNE RUSTON: Well, if you have a look at the time that we were in government in relation to, you know, Medicare went up every year that we were in government, including the time when Peter Dutton was the Health Minister. Our investments into hospitals went up every year while we were in government, 86% over the time that we were in government. So, I think we've got a strong track record while we were in government. But we have seen the most extraordinary plummeting in bulk billing rates just in the last three years, and I noted that Minister Butler made a comment that Medicare and bulk billing rates were in freefall when they came to government – Nothing could be further from the truth. They were at some of the highest levels that we have ever seen when they came into government. They've been in freefall since this government has been in place. So, I think we need to focus on the here and now. But very importantly, the investment yesterday is an investment in the health of Australia, because we firmly believe that if we invest in primary care, we'll be investing in a healthy nation into the future. It's a much better investment than spending lots and lots of money after people get really sick.
SALLY SARA: If the Coalition comes into government, you'll be the ones who will have to figure out how to pay for this. How will you pay for it?
ANNE RUSTON: Well, we've been very clear around the priorities that we see in terms of government expenditure, focusing on things that will address the challenges faced by Australian families and businesses. Clearly cost of living is one of them, but high quality healthcare and social services are also very, very important because if we are able to address the issues of keeping Australians fit and healthy and their wellbeing is being addressed, that's how you have a healthy nation, that's how you have a productive nation and that's how we make sure that we have got the kind of nation and economy that we want going forward. We think that the government has focussed on the wrong priorities. We've already opposed in the Parliament or publicly over $100 billion worth of spending that this government has put on the table. We think they've got the wrong priorities, and we'll be focusing on what we believe are the right priorities, and that's addressing the cost-of-living crisis that Australians are struggling with at the moment.
SALLY SARA: Senator, will that mean cutting government funding in other areas to make sure that there's adequate funding for Medicare, or will it mean increasing taxes?
ANNE RUSTON: We've been very clear about the things that we don't think that the Federal Government should be investing in. I mean, we've done things like, you know, we don't believe the Federal Government's rewiring the nation as an example, the National Reconstruction Fund, all of these things we've voted against. We believe that public servants in Canberra are not what we need. We actually need frontline services, service workers like doctors, like nurses, which this policy addresses, out on the frontline. That's where we're going to get productive benefit for making sure that Australia actually has the future that I think every single one of us wants and we want for our children. We want a country that actually deals with the issues that Australians want, not deals with the issues that the government seems to think are important.
SALLY SARA: Will the Coalition be cutting around 36,000 public sector jobs in Canberra? Is that correct?
ANNE RUSTON: Well, we've certainly indicated that the 36,000 additional public servants in Canberra are not something that we see as a priority. What we see as a priority is frontline workers. And as I say, this policy that we're talking about today is very, very focussed on frontline workers. We're talking about doctors and nurses. Nothing could be more important for Australia than making sure that we've got frontline workers. So, we're very focussed on making sure our investment in the workforce is an investment in a workforce that's delivering for Australians.
SALLY SARA: Do you think that diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which are known as DEI. Do you think they are a good use of money or a poor use of money?
ANNE RUSTON: Well, we've been really clear about what our priorities are going into this election, and those priorities are absolutely focussed on the issues of cost of living. I think the everyday Australian out there right now is only worried about whether they can pay for their mortgage, pay for their electricity bill, whether they can afford to see a doctor. They're the priorities that we have to be focusing on as a government, because governments are elected to make sure that they make the lives of the population better, but also make the economy stronger, and that's what we are focussed on.
SALLY SARA: So, would DEI be one of your priorities or not a priority?
ANNE RUSTON: As I said, our priority is about cost of living. Absolutely 100%. If you ask every Australian, and I speak to many Australians, that's what my job is, and nobody but nobody is talking to me about anything [but] about cost-of- living. And in my case, in health, that is a really big priority. They want us to address the fact they can't afford to see a doctor.
SALLY SARA: For Australians with disabilities and other challenges, they are among those who are recruited under DEI. They also have to deal with the cost of living. Would you scrap positions that have been identified under DEI, where people with disabilities and other challenges have been brought in?
ANNE RUSTON: Well, there is absolutely no doubt that a country as wealthy as Australia needs to make sure that we look after those that are most vulnerable in our community, and so having previously been the Minister for Disabilities, absolutely we need to make sure that we're putting things in place so Australians who live with disability are given the support that they need to make sure that they have the best possible lives. So, we are absolutely committed to the social services that Australians need, and none could be more important than making sure that we support Australians with disability.
SALLY SARA: But rather than social services and support, there are many Australians with disabilities, the thing they want is a job and those jobs come under DEI. Will you maintain those jobs for those people who, they're not looking for support or social security, they want a job.
ANNE RUSTON: Look, absolutely, and as I said, as the Minister for Disability, one of the greatest achievements was putting in place the National Disability Employment Strategy so that Australians who were living with disability were able to focus on their ability and getting jobs, so that they could have the satisfaction of going to work like so many other Australians do. So, I think employment for people who live with disability is one of the most important things government can be focussed on.
SALLY SARA: Anne Ruston, it's good to have you on the program again. Thank you very much for your time.
ANNE RUSTON: My pleasure. Thanks, Sally.
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