JIM CHALMERS MP
SHADOW TREASURER
MEMBER FOR RANKIN
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2GB BREAKFAST
WEDNESDAY, 12 MAY 2021
SUBJECTS: Budget 2021
BEN FORDHAM, HOST: Well as we've already detailed the Treasurer has handed down the federal Budget. There is money flying around everywhere and with an election on the horizon there's something in it for everyone. It's a bit like one of those school carnivals in 2021, everyone gets a ribbon. So spare a thought for Labor because they've got the challenge of trying to come up with something better. Jim Chalmers is the Shadow Treasurer, he's had about three-and-a-half or four hours sleep, and he's joining us from Parliament House. Jim Chalmers, good morning to you.
JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: Good morning, Ben. Thanks for having me on your show.
FORDHAM: No problem. Do you feel like the Government's cut your grass? Because this is kind of a Labor Budget in disguise, isn't it?
CHALMERS: I'm not sure about that. They spent about $100 billion last night, they racked up a trillion dollars in debt, and I don't think they've got a lot to show for it. You'd think that after spending all that money and racking up all that debt we'd have a much stronger economy at the end of it, but their own Budget papers say that even after the four year Budget period, real wages will have actually gone backwards. I think that's an admission of failure.
FORDHAM: Your boss Anthony Albanese has been very realistic throughout the pandemic, I mean he's recognised the fact that we are in unusual times and obviously there are going to be cost blowouts all over the place.
CHALMERS: What we've said all along is that we want to be constructive about it. Our highest priority is to get the right outcome for people, for your listeners, and for the country at large. And that means sometimes being supportive of what the Government's doing, it means sometimes proposing ideas like the JobKeeper wage subsidies, but it also means when the Government doesn't get it quite right, or we think that the Government's wasting money on sports rorts, or dodgy land deals, or slush funds in the Budget - and there are twenty-one slush funds in the Budget announced last night, then we've got a job to say that maybe that money could be spent better than what the Government spending it.
FORDHAM: One of the elephants in the room is the NDIS, the National Disability Insurance Scheme. It's obviously a very important policy, but in a few years it's going to cost just as much as Medicare. I mean, can we keep up with that?
CHALMERS: The NDIS is a really important scheme. There’s a lot of people who need and deserve that assistance and it doesn't come cheap, but nor should it. We shouldn't treat people with a disability cheaply. Unfortunately, over the last eight long years of these guys being in Government they've had a few different attempts at undermining it, and cutting it back, and underspending on it. Our view about the NDIS is it needs to be funded and people need to get that care.
FORDHAM: The Government’s response to aged care includes mandatory minimum face-to-face hours, so that means nurses and carers must spend a certain amount of time with each resident each day. I don't know how that's going to be policed or who's going to be responsible for logging those hours, but the nurses want staff-to-resident ratios, because that way you know how many residents there are, how many carers and nurses you've got to look after those people. Will you commit to staff-to-resident ratios?
CHALMERS: In the Budget last night, your listeners may or may not know, there's about $17 billion spent on aged care but it still fell short of what the Royal Commission recommended needed to happen, including in that area that you just identified. They did some of what the Royal Commission recommended, but not all of it. I think it was great that you did that shout out for the nurses and midwives a moment ago on International Nurses Day. We've been meeting with the nurses and their unions, we've been meeting with the other workers in the aged care system. We do think that there are more serious workforce force issues then were dealt with last night. We'll go through what the Government's proposing, we'll go through the Royal Commission again, and see if what if anything we can propose in addition to that.
FORDHAM: So one of those might be staff-to-resident ratios?
CHALMERS: We are certainly aware of that issue. This has been on the radar for a very long time now, but really importantly, since the Royal Commission uncovered all of those stories about maggots in wounds and people not being fed properly and all the rest of it. One of the really important issues here is around minimum levels of staffing. We've acknowledged that all along. We'll go through what the Government's proposing in their spend that they announced last night, see where the gaps are and see if we can do about it.
FORDHAM: I know this is one of 750 interviews you've got to do this morning, so we'll let you off the hook, and thanks so much for your time.
CHALMERS: I appreciate it, Ben, thank you.
FORDHAM: No problem. Jim Chalmers, the Shadow Treasurer, joining us from Parliament House.
ENDS
