Doorstop interview, Woodridge, Queensland
JIM CHALMERS:
First of all, before I get to Medicare, I just wanted to say that the government's hearts, that every Australian's heart goes out to the people in the Western Downs and the Southern Downs, who are being impacted once again by these bushfires. I really wanted to express our gratitude as well for all of the people who are reinforcing the efforts in those affected communities. People flying in from across the ditch and from around Australia to help out, to give some of our local firies the break that they desperately need after fighting these fires for a week or more. Minister Murray Watt has been on the ground speaking with affected families and affected communities. We encourage people to stay on high alert in those parts of Queensland and northern New South Wales, to keep up to date with all of the updates, but our hearts go out to the communities and families, local people affected by these fires and our deep, deep appreciation and gratitude for people who are putting themselves in harm's way to look after other people in those parts of Australia. We are anticipating a very difficult fire season, a very difficult disaster season more broadly, that's why Murray Watt, the Prime Minister, all of the ministers are engaged and doing what we can to prepare for what looks like being a really difficult summer.
Today's a really important day. From today, we triple the bulk billing incentive. This is all about making it easier and cheaper for people to see a bulk billing doctor. This three and a half billion-dollar investment recognises that out‑of‑pocket health costs are a big part of the pain that people are feeling in their household budgets. We understand that people are under pressure, we understand that out‑of‑pocket health costs are a big part of the story, and that's why we're doing what we responsibly can. We are tripling the bulk billing incentive, we're investing in urgent care clinics, we are strengthening Medicare more broadly, and we are making medicines cheaper because all of this will make a difference to the cost‑of‑living pressures that people are feeling around the country. Cost‑of‑living pressures are the highest priority around the kitchen tables of this country and they are the highest priority around the Cabinet table of the Albanese Government as well.
We are rolling out $23 billion dollars in cost‑of‑living relief to help take some of the edge off these cost‑of‑living pressures that people are feeling right around Australia. Rolling out that cost of living relief is the government's highest priority and tripling the bulk billing incentive is a key part of that effort. The world is inflicting price pressures on Australians and we are doing what we can to ease that pain. Inflation has been too high for too long, but it has moderated since last year and our cost‑of‑living plan is helping. The Australian Bureau of Statistics just last week said that our efforts and our cost‑of‑living plan and our responsible economic management took something like half a percentage point off inflation in the data that was released last week.
There's also an important piece of analysis from the International Monetary Fund out today. The IMF makes it abundantly clear that our cost‑of‑living plan and our responsible economic management is helping rather than hampering the fight against inflation. The IMF has issued a glowing endorsement of the government's responsible economic management. And in a world that is increasingly uncertain, at a time when we've got interest rates already biting in our economy, the government is doing exactly what we need to be doing to take the edge off these inflationary pressures, to invest in people, the energy transition and housing at the same time as we get the budget in much better nick. The key conclusion from the IMF report today is that the government is helping not hampering the fight against inflation. Fiscal and monetary policy are working closely together so that we can take some of the edge off these inflationary pressures and what we're doing to triple the bulk billing incentive is an important part of that $23 billion cost‑of‑living plan.
Now we're going to hear from Anika Wells and then happy to take your questions. Before I hand over to Anika I really wanted to thank Dr Sunil and Clare for having us here in Woodridge in the heart of the Rankin electorate. Thank you for all the work that you do to look after local people in particular, to look out for them and look after them. We've seen some very happy patients already today of yours and we can see why – it's a very welcoming place. So thank you for welcoming us here today. We'll hear from Anika then we'll take your questions.
ANIKA WELLS:
Thank you Jim and thank you to Dr Sunil and to Clare, fellow goal attack – goal shooter at the netball club, for welcoming us to Smith Brothers Medical Clinic. We’re here together to herald a new age of care because today, the first of November, is a really significant day for strengthening Medicare in our country. It is the day when we are getting the largest ever increase to bulk billing in the 40-year history of Medicare. And we know particularly in places like this, that's a really big deal, because cost of living is hitting hard and being able to access affordable health care is a really important part of what you expect the Federal Government to deliver for you and that's what we're doing. More than 11 million Australians today will be able to find it easier and cheaper to see a doctor. More than seven million pensioners and concession card holders and more than five million children – their families will be able to access better bulk billing as a result of the huge injection that we're putting in that starts today.
This is part of a broader package of health measures that the Albanese Government has been really focused on since coming to government. Also from today Australians over the age of 65 will be able to access the shingles vaccine for free and also Australians who are tied to MyMedicare will be able to access bulk billing rebates for longer telephone consultations, which we know is part of where healthcare is going in this country. And of course, we've opened 35 urgent care clinics since coming to government with more on the way before the end of the year. Health alongside aged care is a really big focus of the Albanese Government. We knew after nine years of neglect under the former government that it would really require our shoulders to the wheel and to act soon, and with big injections of resourcing, of funding and a cleared-eye policy reform. So in aged care, there was a $36 billion injection at the Federal Budget this year that included an $11.3 billion injection of a 15 per cent award pay rise for more than 250,000 aged care workers. And together we have more than 100 reform projects on the go in aged care and that will have an impact in places like Woodridge. From Woodridge to Weipa, we are making it easier and cheaper to see a doctor from today.
JOURNALIST:
A lot of GPs are refusing to bulk bill. Do you think this will change some of their minds now?
WELLS:
Yes, the Health Minister Mark Butler has been consulting with GPs furiously since coming to government and GPs have said this is a game changer for being able to offer bulk billing services in this country. But we might ask Dr Sunil if he'd like to weigh in on how you found the bulk billing experience.
DR SUNIL RAJAN:
As you know, Medicare rebates have not kept pace with inflation for quite some time so therefore, this is a movement in the right direction, at least in places like in Woodridge, and predominantly we are bulk billing, it definitely helps us to manage our staff as well as other resources and pull it all together to keep patients healthy and well and aim for better outcomes and avoiding hospitalisation and hospital admission.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible]
RAJAN:
Yeah and the economics of this is, of course, we have got a long way to go really to be comfortable but at least, you know, the government has been listening and I see an interest in looking at this from, from our point as well, from GPs' perspective, so I think this is a move in the right direction.
CHALMERS:
This is all about backing doctors who back our community and I want to pay tribute to Dr Sunil and the doctors here. Almost all of the patients here on Ewing Road, they are bulk billed and we want more doctors like Dr Sunil here to either get into bulk billing or to stem the flow away from bulk billing. We speak to local families in this community, around Australia, and one of the biggest out‑of‑pocket health costs they have is when it comes to seeing a doctor. We don't want people to put off getting the health care that they need because they can't find a bulk billing doctor. Wonderful doctors like here at this practice are doing the best that they can and we want to do the best that we can for them.
JOURNALIST:
Just on some other matters, the IMF report that you mentioned, they are also urging the Reserve Bank to lift official interest rates again. I mean, if that does happen, crystal ball, you know, what effect will that have?
CHALMERS:
Well, first of all, as you know, I don't make predictions and I don't pre-empt decisions taken independently by the Reserve Bank. They will meet on Tuesday and they will come to a decision and they'll communicate that in the usual way but more broadly, it's very clear from the IMF report and from the comments of the Reserve Bank Governor at estimates last week that the government's policies and plans are taking some of the edge off inflation rather than adding to it. The government is doing its bit, getting the budget back into surplus, providing cost‑of‑living relief in a way that takes away from inflation rather than add to it according to the ABS – these are all of the things that we are doing and need to be doing in the context of inflation which has been persistent and in the context of a slowing economy. We'll see what the Reserve Bank decides on Tuesday. I think it is self-evident already that the interest rate rises which began before the election are tightening the screws on family budgets – we're seeing that right around the country and so the Reserve Bank no doubt will weigh all of that up.
JOURNALIST:
I think you've talked before but there are a number of Australians coming off fixed mortgages this year, do you have any data on how many that will affect now and next year?
CHALMERS:
Yes, we're approximately half way when it comes to the mortgages going from quite a low fixed rate onto a higher variable rate – that has been under way really for the best part of this year, people moving off those lower rates on to higher rates. From memory, the last number I saw was there was about a million behind us and about a million ahead of us, I think from memory, I'd have to check that. We are definitely about half way when it comes to that transition.
JOURNALIST:
Just on another matter, a High Court decision was handed down today – one of Australia's most notorious convicted terrorists Abdul Benbrika has won his high court bid to restore his Australian citizenship despite being found guilty and being gaoled for terrorism. What are your views on that and should the citizenship act be reviewed or should the Home Affairs power to do this be reviewed?
CHALMERS:
Obviously, the relevant ministers have been monitoring that case very closely and now that there has been a judgment handed down, we will take the time to work through it in the usual considered and methodical way and if there's more to say about that at some future point, whether it's the Attorney-General or the Prime Minister or the Home Affairs Minister, I'm happy to leave it to them.
JOURNALIST:
Minister Wells, just a couple of questions for you. Just looking at aged care, do you have a date when all homes will have the 24‑hour nursing care?
WELLS:
We're working to that as quickly as possible. Obviously, we legislated it for 1 July and that was a year ahead of what the Royal Commission recommended because we thought it was urgent enough to act as quickly as possible. That's been a really successful policy for us. That first month, we know that there was 98 per cent coverage of 24/7 nursing across the country. That's 23 and a half hours a day averaged across the country. We're obviously working through the exemptions process with people who applied for it – 62 applications and there's 45 exemptions as it stands currently, but that's 45 exemptions across the 2500 residential aged care facilities so this has been really successful.
JOURNALIST:
Is that 62 exemptions did you say?
WELLS:
Sixty-two applications for exemption, 45 exemptions granted, and that's by the regulator.
CHALMERS:
Thanks very much.
