Doorstop interview – Hobart | Prime Minister of Australia
DR MARK BALDOCK: This is the first integrated, extended hours medical, pharmacy, pathology and imaging clinic in Tasmania. We can provide assessment, treatment and care for urgent but not life-threatening conditions. We have a thorough triage process to ensure that it is appropriate for us to treat patients who present to us here. The vision of Your Hobart Doctor is to make medical care accessible to the community. It is important to note that the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic here and across Australia are bulk billed, which gives equitable access to everyone seeking to access the service. When it’s urgent, but not an emergency, we’re here for you. I’d like to recognise the outstanding support received from Your Hobart Doctor team and particularly Gillian Powell and Alex Mass, Dr Karen Vaughan, my fellow director, Brendan Butcher and our Chief Financial Adviser and accountant from William Buck, Damon Harris. And in closing, I’d like to recognise this outstanding initiative from our Federal Government and the outstanding support we have received from our State Government. Thank you.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, thanks very much. And it’s great to be back in Tasmania and it’s good to be here with the Premier, Jeremy Rockliff, with Minister Guy Barnett, with my Cabinet Minister, Julie Collins, the Minister for Housing, with Brian Mitchell, Carol Brown, Catryna Bilyk, and of course, the local MP as well, Andrew Wilkie. It says something about how important this issue is of health delivery, that we have people across different levels of government right across the political spectrum here for what is a very important opening here. This clinic has been open for just two weeks. And in two weeks, it’s seen 400 patients. It’s had 82 x-rays in the first fortnight. This Urgent Care Clinic can deliver service from the time people walk in, right through delivering fixing people up, so that they then leave without putting pressure on emergency departments. Young Rida here, who had a fracture falling off a scooter just yesterday, was here for an hour and a half. An hour and a half from the time that he walked in the door to the time he walked out with his mum. Having his arm in a cast, having had the assessment, having had the X-ray, having had the setting and fixing up, what would have been many, many hours in an emergency department. Meaning more time in pain for young Rida, but also meaning a backlog, which is precisely what Urgent Care Clinics are designed to deal with. One of the things that the National Cabinet has been prioritising is ensuring that the primary healthcare system works to take pressure off our hospital networks. And there’s nowhere we’re working more closely with than here in Tasmania, where we’ve had pilot programs, where we have programs, including the state-wide SEM trial, which allows GP trainees to be centrally employed by the state through their training rotations. And that, we announced with the Premier up in Devonport, I think it was a little while ago, and that now is in place from July 2023. We’re providing $20 million support for palliative care in Launceston. We’ve provided $135 million for these Urgent Care Clinics, two of which are open, one in Launceston, one here. The second Hobart facility will be open shortly, in six to eight weeks. And we’ve identified a site as well in North West Tasmania to deliver services there throughout the state. It’s a part of the commitment that we have, the additional $358 million that we provided for the 58 Urgent Care Clinics around the country, of which 22 have now already opened. The Government also is investing some $3.5 billion over five years to address bulk billing. That incentive, which starts soon, a tripling of the bulk billing incentive, will make an enormous difference. As has the cheaper medicines policy that came in on January 1, that’s already made a difference of savings for Tasmanians of $3 million from more than 260,000 scripts that have been written here in Tasmania, $42.50 cost down to $30. Making a difference for people, taking pressure off inflation, making an enormous difference. So, I’m very pleased to be here with the Premier and with my Federal parliamentary colleagues on what is an important day. And I do want to finish, before I hand over to the Premier, in giving a shout out to the doctors, the nurses and the health professionals here at this Urgent Care Clinic for what they do to help their fellow Australians when they need help. We all would rather not see a doctor, I think. But when you need one, you need one to deal with issues in an efficient way. And the Urgent Care Clinics are doing exactly that, making an enormous difference here in Tasmania, but a difference that will be created right around the country.
JEREMY ROCKLIFF, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Well, thank you very much, Prime Minister, to you, to our Minister for Health, Guy Barnett, it’s great to be here alongside Andrew as well, Minister Julie Collins, Brian, Catryna and of course, Carol as well. And can I particularly pay tribute to Mark and his wonderful team here at the Urgent Care Clinic. Once again, a great innovation and a great partnership between State and Federal Government. And the Prime Minister articulated the strong working relationship we have when it comes to healthcare. We stood together at the Mersey Community Hospital earlier this year, announcing an innovative model to support a single employer model, to support our GPs across rural and regional Tasmania. This innovation as well, and it’s not just about funding and resourcing, of course, which is so important, but it’s also thinking outside the square. How can we do things differently to support the healthcare of Tasmanians and indeed Australians? And this is a great example of it. We recognise that throughout the pandemic, with the cancelling of non-emergency surgery, elective surgery, during that time has put extra pressure on hospitals, not just in Tasmania, but across the nation. And the National Cabinet has had a very clear focus on alleviating that pressure, understanding the responsibility of the State Government when it comes to the acute care system, but also working together with the primary care sector, predominantly a responsibility of the Federal Government, and how we can alleviate that pressure and that anxiety at the coalface of the emergency departments. And Rida is a great example of how we can alleviate that pressure. Support a young person in need, not too far away from the emergency department to allow an easing of the pressure at the Royal Hobart Hospital emergency department for greater access and support for people with more need of life-threatening care. This is a great partnership, once again, between the Federal and State Government. We’ve got four Urgent Care Centres to deliver in partnership. We have one in southern Tasmania, one not far away, one in Launceston, and of course, not far away on the north west coast as well, $15 million commitment from the Federal Government, backed up by $2.6 million in support of the State Government, is an example of the cooperation between Federal and State Governments and making sure that the patient is at the centre of the care. And so, I thank the Prime Minister, Minister for Health, Guy Barnett, for working alongside his colleague, Minister Mark Butler, and once again pay tribute to Mark and his innovative team as well. And I’ll leave where the Prime Minister left off as well, there’s been enormous strain and anxiety within our health system over the course of the last two or three years as a result of the pandemic. And we have enormous respect for every single health professional during that time. And now that it works so hard to provide that support and care, to ensure that we work as a State Government alongside the Federal Government in delivering that care in the right place and at the right time. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Premier. Now, we’ve agreed to take questions. And the Premier and I have agreed that Andrew Wilkie will be given any of the difficult ones.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the ACCC has accused Qantas of selling thousands of flights that have already been cancelled. What’s your reaction to this news?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the ACCC are having an inquiry. And that is part of a legal process, so I won’t comment on any specifics. But the ACCC is doing its job. The ACCC’s job is to look after consumers. I certainly welcome the announcement that’s been made as well today. Something I called for in recent days of Qantas recognising the need to look after those people who had made bookings for flights that have been cancelled, to not have those credits expire and to be able to receive either a refund or a use of their flights.
JOURNALIST: On the Voice, both the Yes and No camps think it’ll be pretty close here in Tasmania. The polls certainly look that way, although they have pretty small sample sizes. What’s your view of how the vote will go in Tasmania?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m very positive about how the vote will go in Tasmania and throughout the country. I, after this, will be in Launceston, where some of my Senate colleagues and Bridget Archer, the Member for Bass, will be there campaigning and advocating for a Yes vote and four of the five Federal Members here in Tasmania, across the spectrum, an Independent, a Liberal and Labor members will all be campaigning for Yes. This is a very clear and simple proposition. This is a proposition to recognise First Nations people in our Constitution and listen to them about matters that affect their lives so as to get better results. That is what this is about. It’s an opportunity to lift the whole nation up. It should be a moment of national unity. And I’m very pleased that every Premier and Chief Minister is supporting a Yes vote, as well as all of the faith groups, all of the sporting codes, the business community, the trade union movement and other non-government organisations and charities are all supporting a Yes vote because 122 years after Federation, if not now, when?
JOURNALIST: Will you be taking the opportunity to talk to the Premier about ways that the State and Federal Governments can work together to help Tasmania with its ongoing health crisis?
PRIME MINISTER: I talk with the Premier all the time. We have a very constructive relationship. I think what people want out of governments is to get things done. And the Premier and I, I think, have across the health sector, across other issues as well that we’re dealing with, energy and other issues, I think have a constructive relationship, as I do with all of the Premiers and Chief Ministers. I see it as my job to look for solutions and look for agreements rather than look for arguments.
JOURNALIST: As we heard from the Premier, the health system here has been under incredible strain. Do you think that this is unique to Tasmania? And also, Federal Governments have in the past bailed out State Governments when there’s been issues in the health system. Is today an example of that? And will you consider further investment?
PRIME MINISTER: The health system has been under pressure everywhere, post the pandemic. What we have been working through is constructive solutions. This is one of them. It’s one of them that I announced prior to the election campaign, was a major centrepiece of our plan to strengthen Medicare. The great thing about the Urgent Care Clinic here is you don’t need your credit card, you just need your Medicare card. And it will make an enormous difference. In addition to that, I must say that the trial on GP trainees is unique. Tasmania has been ahead of the rest of the country in coming up with that innovative solution. And I know that Mark Butler and Guy have a good relationship. When you’re talking about healthcare, you’re not talking about party politics, you shouldn’t be. You talk about solutions, what patients need. That’s what I’m concerned about. That’s what I’ll continue to work with people across the spectrum, but the hospital systems have been under pressure right across the spectrum.
JOURNALIST: It’s been four months since you announced the funding for the stadium deal, when will we find out whether it will be GST exempt?
PRIME MINISTER: We work through those issues in a constructive way. And we work through them consistently. But some of the argument about that, frankly, is a bit of an argument about nothing. Because what you have when you look at the way that the GST system works, is that you look at the allocation right throughout every program that is given to every State and Territory Government and what washes through ends up being pretty much where you started from the beginning with.
JOURNALIST: Just on the Voice, you listed all those organisations that are supportive of a Yes vote. There are several peak Indigenous groups in Tasmania that are very much opposed to the Voice. What gives you the right, or why are you superior, in terms of giving advice to the community on that issue than the Indigenous community?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, 80 per cent of the Indigenous community, at least, are advocating for a Yes vote. There was a process set up, not under my Government, Tony Abbott appointed a group to work towards the detail on Constitutional recognition, that he said he supported at the time, as did John Howard, go to an election way back in 2007. Indigenous Australians held hundreds of meetings right around the country themselves and came together in a First Nations Constitutional Convention at Uluru in 2017, where they decided that, yes, they wanted recognition, but they wanted recognition that had substance as well, that would allow them to be listened to in the future. In order to get more efficient programs, in order to replicate systems where it works. One of the things that we know is that where Indigenous Australians have had that sense of ownership and have had that input, whether it be Justice Reinvestment in Bourke, whether it be the health programs in Cape York, whether it be school attendance in Arnhem Land, there is something that they have in common, which is just like other organisations, when you ask people who are directly affected by issues, you’ll get better outcomes. I’m sure this health clinic here will consult if they are looking at a way forward. They’d go and they’d ask people who were the clients, who were the patients, they’d ask their workforce, they’d ask the people directly affected, because that’s how you get better outcomes. If you look at the schools that work most effectively, they’re ones that have effective P&Cs, they’re ones that engage with their local community, they’re ones that engage with the sporting clubs where the kids might play on the weekend. This is common sense and good manners. And it is no more surprising that not every Indigenous person agrees with the one position, just like there are different views across the spectrum. That should be no more surprising than the fact that everyone who’s a South Sydney Rabbitohs supporter doesn’t vote Labor. Most do, but not everyone does. And the idea that Indigenous people should be homogeneous and all have exactly the same view is, of course, not real.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you concede that figure is misleading in Tasmania –
PRIME MINISTER: Him, her and then you, because that’s the way it works.
JOURNALIST: Energy market operators are warning of blackouts on the East Coast if renewable energy projects aren’t delivered quickly. Are you concerned by that?
PRIME MINISTER: We’re delivering renewable energy and we also are making sure that we fix the energy grid. The energy grid was built for a time when solar panels powered pocket calculators, not households and businesses and industries. And what we’re doing is making sure that it’s upgraded. I know we’re working closely with the Tasmanian Government on Marinus Link, that’s an important project as well.
JOURNALIST: The 80 per cent figure that you quote, in Tasmania I think the reality, I think most people would probably accept the reality is there’s a lot more opposition within the Indigenous community than 80 per cent. Would you concede that point?
PRIME MINISTER: I state very clearly that overwhelmingly Indigenous Australians support a Yes vote.
JOURNALIST: In Tasmania?
PRIME MINISTER: Overwhelmingly, Indigenous Australians support a Yes vote. And unless you’ve gone around and surveyed every citizen who’s Indigenous in Tasmania, then you can comment on that. What we know is that overwhelmingly Indigenous Australians gathered at Uluru in 2017. This isn’t something that’s come from the Labor Party or the Liberal Party. This is something that has come from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people themselves. This is a gracious request by Indigenous Australians to walk with them, as the Uluru Statement speaks about, to overcome, as the Uluru Statement speaks about, ‘the torment of powerlessness’. And if we do the same thing, we should expect the same outcomes. We have an eight-year life expectancy gap. A young Indigenous male is more likely to go to jail than to go to university. A young Indigenous woman is more likely to die in childbirth than a non-Indigenous woman. We have gaps in health and education and housing. We need to do something different and to do something better. This is an opportunity, this is a request from Indigenous Australians for Australians to walk with them to a better future, as the conclusion of the Uluru Statement says. Now, people will come to their own conclusions. But what I would say to people, and some people from different perspectives, you would acknowledge, some people say it doesn’t go far enough, is what some of the perspective is. They say this isn’t enough because it is a modest request. It isn’t about special places in Parliament. It retains completely the primacy of the Parliament to make decisions, Parliament and government. But what it does do is ensure that advice can be given advice. Advice can be given and that is all that it requires. And that is a modest request on top of recognition which is why I would encourage Australians to, they’ve all got the booklet now, will be arriving in their letterbox if they haven’t got it yet, have a look at what the question is. The question is very clear. It’s recognition, ‘in recognition of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s First Peoples’, that’s the recognition. And then there are three points, ‘There shall be a body, a Voice’, what there’ll be, then there’s a what it will do, ‘It may give advice to Parliament and Executive Government on issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’, that’s what it will do, and the third is the primacy of the Parliament, ‘The Parliament shall legislate for the functions, powers, composition, etc, of the Voice.’ I might give Jeremy an opportunity, if you want to say something too.
ROCKLIFF: Well, thank you, Prime Minister. And my views are very clear and I’ve stated my views on the Voice for some time now. And that is, we need to acknowledge and recognise where we have failed First Nations people and Indigenous Australians. The gap is too large when it comes to educational attainment, incarceration rate, health data. And we can do better. And the reason that I’ll be supporting the Yes campaign and, like every other Australian, whether you’re a Prime Minister or a Premier, police person, a farmer, right across, we’ll all go to the ballot box, we’ll cast our vote as equals across this nation. What I want to see is a nation that moves forward in partnership with First Nations people, really listening and addressing those matters that are so important. At the end of the day, the Uluru Statement of the Heart was born of First Nations people, not political parties. And we need to listen. We need to learn. And we need to take this country forward.
JOURNALIST: Do you think the majority of Tasmanians share your view, particularly in the north and north west, where you’re from?
ROCKLIFF: Well, as I say, every Tasmanian, irrespective of walk or life or circumstance, will have an equal say at the ballot box. And I’m confident that Tasmanians, when they truly appreciate it, that we can take this nation forward, we can listen to First Nations people, Tasmanian Aboriginal people, who, incidentally, were part of the Uluru Statement from the Heart when it was signed a number of years ago, taking this country forward. And my view is a referendum that is not successful will do nothing to address the circumstances and the challenges that we have faced as a nation since Federation for the last 122 years. In many respects, we’ve failed, but we can do better as a nation and indeed as a state. And as a state of Tasmania, we’re in our own dialogue on a pathway to truth telling and treaty. So, my conviction is very clear on support for the Yes vote. But I also respect Tasmanians that have a differing view. We need a respectful discussion, respectful dialogue, where we can all learn together. And my only urging of Tasmanians is that we do take the time to appreciate the facts of why we’re having a referendum, weigh up all the arguments in a respectful dialogue, but move forward together.
JOURNALIST: At the Liberal Party State Council, Premier, there was a one of emotions that was fairly hostile to the Yes campaign, are you concerned that it could become another issue of contention within your Party? There are substantial numbers of your Ministers who don’t support or don’t have your position.
ROCKLIFF: And everyone has an equal say and that’s the great thing about the referendum. Irrespective of your background or circumstance, your belief, political party, we’ll all go to the ballot box on the referendum on October the 14th as equals. And I respect the views of my colleagues that have a different view to me. It’s great that we’re debating these matters and discussing these matters within our own Liberal Party, of course, and more broadly in the community. My only urging for Tasmanians is to really listen, to learn, talk amongst your families and your friends. For me, I’ll be voting Yes. Thanks very much.
JOURNALIST: Warren Mundine has accused you [inaudible] suicidal thoughts. What’s your response to that? And do you now speak to him?
PRIME MINISTER: I have no intention of doing anything other than running a positive and constructive campaign. And that is what I’ve been doing. Thanks very much. I’m sorry that Andrew Wilkie didn’t get any questions.