JIM CHALMERS MP
SHADOW TREASURER
MEMBER FOR RANKIN
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
101 FM
WEDNESDAY, 14 JULY 2021
SUBJECTS: Attacks on Medicare and skyrocketing GP and specialists costs; ‘Secret City’ TV show; Scott Morrison playing State of Origin with pandemic support; Maroons, Cameron Smith, Broncos; Australian wool exports and a future made in Australia.
IAN ‘BLUEY’ GEORGE, HOST: Jim Chalmers, how are you?
JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: I'm really well thanks Bluey, it's good to see you in the flesh!
‘BLUEY’: There you go! Much more fun here at home than at Parliament House where it's all either the green seats or the burgundy seats.
CHALMERS: Yeah, that's it. I'm pleased to be in this blue and black seat in your studio talking about our local community.
‘BLUEY’: Okay, we're gonna do a quick ad break and then we're gonna come back and talk about something that really, a lot of people haven't picked up on yet, and that of course is the situation where if you're really big into Medicare, I think you're in for a couple of shocks. We'll come back in just a tick and we'll talk to Jim Chalmers. He's the Shadow Treasurer in the federal parliament at the moment. Now I say at the moment because anything can happen. I've just been watching a TV show called Secret City.
CHALMERS: It's excellent I saw the first series but not the second.
‘BLUEY’: Jim, the second series is a absolute corker! It really is an eye-opener. And my wife and I've been sitting there we we blitzed it the other night.
CHALMERS: You binged it? You watched it all?
‘BLUEY’: So we watched the first one again, just to sort of get it back in the head, and then we went into the second one. I'm not going to do any spoilers, but it is an amazing show.
(*** MUSIC BREAK ***)
‘BLUEY’: Okay. This is where I get to play the piano accordion!
(PIANO ACCORDIAN MUSIC)
‘BLUEY’: Now, it's Bastille Day today as you will know Jim. Because you're a learned man, you know all about the Bastille and what used to happen over there - wine and biscuits on a penny!
(LAUGHTER)
‘BLUEY’: No, seriously!
CHALMERS: Is this the soundtrack to Bastille Day?
‘BLUEY’: If you want it to be. Anything's possible here at this radio station. You right there Brett? Brett's our official photographer this morning he's doing a great job.
CHALMERS: He's grooving away in the background.
(LAUGHTER)
‘BLUEY’: That's what you call it. That's what to call it. Okay Jim, let's get into this business because there's been some shenanigans going on down on the green seats at Parliament House. Now, I have to wonder at times, how much goes on that we don't know about? Things that get slipped in under the carpet at eleven o'clock at night when there's two men and a dog around! So there's been some significant changes in the Medicare rebate?
CHALMERS: That's a good place to start, Bluey. So on the first of this month we had a whole bunch of changes to the Medicare schedule, which makes a lot of procedures more expensive for our local people. For those who already had treatments and procedures booked in it's a really uncertain time because all of a sudden the costs of that have changed.
‘BLUEY’: Okay Jim. For instance, I'm a 71-year-old, reasonably fit, and I have an accident, and my hip gets dislocated. I've got to go and see some sort of paediatric type guy over at the Greenslopes Private Hospital - you know, you've paid your money all this time.
CHALMERS: Yep.
‘BLUEY’: How is that going to be affected? This happened to me probably about the 2nd of July.
CHALMERS: Are you okay now, Bluey?
‘BLUEY’: Yeah, I'm good now. You can't tell the limp, can't see that. Okay, seriously, if that happened to you. How would you be affected now?
CHALMERS: Well the best way for your listeners to understand this Bluey, is that there's been about 1,000 changes made to the Medicare Benefits Shedule.
‘BLUEY’: Get out!
CHALMERS: And of that 1,000…
‘BLUEY’: Yeah.
CHALMERS: …hundreds of them go to things like orthopaedic, cardiac and general surgeries. And what that means is for a lot of people that will now cost more. And what makes people especially angry as I talk to people in the suburbs in our community, is a lot of people have been waiting a long time for these surgeries.
‘BLUEY’: Yep.
CHALMERS: And now they've learned that the price of them's going up.
‘BLUEY’: Oh that's not really fair is it?
CHALMERS: And it's compounding something where, tte federal government's been in power now for eight years now, and in our community alone, just my electorate that you're broadcasting into, the cost of seeing a doctor has gone up by 27%, about $8.35 under the life of this LNP Government. The cost of seeing a specialist has gone up by about 33%, about $20.61 So when you combine what's happened in Medicare - things are getting more expensive under Scott Morrison with the additional cuts that he's brought in while he hopes that everybody's distracted by the pandemic. So you can understand why people are angry. Medicare shouldn't be under attack like this. Labor created Medicare, we will always defend it.
‘BLUEY’: Okay, let's go back one. So I go and see my local doctor, how is that going to be affected?
CHALMERS: It depends on your doctor. Doctors are subject to the Medicare Benefits Shedule and so what they charge the taxpayer is dependent on that schedule, right. Not every doctor bulk bills, not every doctor doesn't charge a gap, so for different people that will be different. But the cost of seeing a doctor for a lot of those sorts of procedures that we just talked about, the cost will go up thanks to Scott Morrison after the prices have already skyrocketed the last eight years.
‘BLUEY’: Now when our community was in lockdown because of the mess that Scotty from marketing had organised.
(LAUGHTER)
‘BLUEY’: Scotty from marketing! He hasn't got a real job, he's in marketing! Now during the vaccine rollout he's snuck up with those 1,000 changes in Medicare. But how's that going to be effective to people out there on the street now, it's not a one size fits all situation?
CHALMERS: The main thing that people say to me, Bluey - let's just be blunt about it - they say if he's prepared to do this to Medicare during a pandemic what's he prepared to do if he gets reelected?
‘BLUEY’: Okay, fair enough. Just want to make it straightforward.
CHALMERS: There's no use beating around the bush.
‘BLUEY’: There's no rocket science in this business. Oh, that's really interesting indeed. Now, I know that you're a local bloke and you've got family, kids, the works, here in the area. So you're probably best off to know what's going on now. I have a question. I was going to do the Out of The Blue question but I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll play something becaue I know you're got a busy schedule and need to get down the road. So we're going to be back in just a tick with Out Of The Blue. These are the questions that you don't normally get asked.
CHALMERS: I'm trembling, Bluey!
(*** MUSIC BREAK ***)
‘BLUEY’: It can be a prickly time down there in Canberra! Seriously, it is, it's not all beer and skittles, but anyway the accordion band is back in again.
(PIANO ACCORDIAN PLAYS)
‘BLUEY’: You like that, don't you?
CHALMERS: I do!
‘BLUEY’: It's very much Bastille. Okay, Out Of The Blue questions. First of all, I noticed yesterday that the Australian wool corporates are pretty happy because, 90% of Australian wool exports are going to China. So, that is interesting in itself. The wool people are having a whale of a time out there. But the interesting part is 50% of the 90% is actually going into the mills in China where they're making woollen garments and clothes. And they're coming back to Australia with a lifetime of 25 years. And the cotton lasts about six months. The worst part is that that whole thing is kind of crazy because the other 50% gets sold off to Europe and gets sold off to United States. Why can't we sell it direct?
CHALMERS: Yep, spot on. We've got the best wool in the world.
‘BLUEY’: Yeah.
CHALMERS: Some of the best growers and farmers, and we should be adding more value to it. We should be selling it right around the world. I think one of the things we've learned in the last little while is we shouldn't be too over reliant on one market or another.
‘BLUEY’: Yeah, and I guess when you see what's happened to the dairy industry, and that's going to take years before they can yank that back into some sort of semblance of order. That makes you wonder.
CHALMERS: Well this is a good opportunity, Bluey. We've got an amazing agricultural industry here. We need to be thinking about how we add value. How we have that future made in Australia. How we make more money for the country and make sure there are more opportunities for people in the regions in particular but right around the place.
‘BLUEY’: Okay the other one Out Of The Blue for you, are you ready?
CHALMERS: Yep, okay.
‘BLUEY’: Chin out, here we go! Tonight is the State of Origin, the third one down the Gold Coast. And that's going to be played tonight before a crowd of about 25,000, they've sold a lot of tickets. But what makes me wonder is, will we have a lockdown on Friday morning after the footy's done and we've had a day to digest the result, whether it be good, bad or indifferent?
CHALMERS: It hasn't been good so far, Bluey.
‘BLUEY’: It hasn't been real flash, has it? Oh, strike a light! No, seriously, they haven't played all that well.
CHALMERS: Bluey, the reason I'm rocking the Queensland jerseys today in your studio. And particularly a Cameron Smith jersey - he's probably the finest thing Logan has ever produced.
‘BLUEY’: Did you nick down to his clothesline and knock that off?
(LAUGHTER)
CHALMERS: No. But I do know his mum Sonia though, over at Marsden there. We occasionally have a drink at Logan Brothers at trophy presentation time. I've had a bit to do with the family. Probably the finest product from Logan is Cameron Smith. I'm proud to rock his jersey today. But the reason why it's especially important, whether you're a Broncos fan in a lean year, or a Queensland supporter in a lean year, is you've gotta support your team when you're at the lowest ebb, not just when things are travelling well. I'm proud to rock the Queensland jersey. When it comes to the lockdown, who knows. That will be a decision for Annastacia Palaszczuk based on the great advice we've been getting from Dr Young. To our friends in Sydney, there's no State of Origin when it comes to the pandemic.
‘BLUEY’: Yep.
CHALMERS: Our friends in Sydney are doing it really tough, workers and small businesses in particular. Our heart goes out to them. You're allowed to play State of Origin when it comes to footy but not when it comes to supporting Australians during the pandemic.
‘BLUEY’: Jim, always good to have you come in to the station. Any time you want to come in, feel free to do it. You're always welcome at 101 FM.
CHALMERS: I love talking to you Bluey, because you get the word out in our community and that's a really important thing. I'm always keen to come in and say g'day.
‘BLUEY’: It's where we call a spade a spade.
(PIANO ACCORDIAN MUSIC)
ENDS
