Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Public hearings into the federal government's plan to cut the
private health insurance rebate for more than 3.2 million older Australians. Well,
those public hearings are underway. The Senate inquiry is examining
legislation reducing this rebate from 28% to 24% for people
aged 65 to 69. and from 32% to 24% for
(00:22):
those over the age of 70. Now, the federal government
says that these changes are going to save almost $ 3
billion over four years, but the coalition is vowing to
block this bill, warning that higher premiums could push older
Aussies out of that private health cover and onto already
stretched public hospitals. And this is something we've spoken about
(00:44):
at length on this show. Now, joining us On the
show is Senator Anne Ruston. She's the Shadow Minister for
Health and Aged Care. Good morning to you, Senator.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Good morning.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Thanks so much for your time this morning. Now, Senator,
why is the Coalition so strongly opposed to this rebate cut?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Because we think it's completely a false economy. What this
will do is force older Australians into the public system
and we already know that the public system around Australia,
particularly our hospital system, is under incredible pressure. But also
the savings that the government is saying that they are
going to save, they know will never be realised because
(01:25):
the modelling that they've received shows that for every dollar
the federal government saves on this private health rebate to
older Australians will actually end up with $ 1. 20 being spent
in hospital admissions and pressure on our public hospitals. It's
quite crazy because at the end of the day, whilst
the federal government might save a dollar, the taxpayers ultimately,
(01:45):
who are the ones that fund the government, will end
up being paying $ 1.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
20.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I mean, it's just ridiculous policy.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Senator, tell me, what have you heard so far throughout
these hearings? Because certainly for us on the show, we've
got people who are pretty concerned about this. We spoke
to Sue Shearer, the CEO of the Council of the
Aging here in the Northern Territory yesterday. She's pretty upset
with it. And, you know, you add to that in
the Northern Territory the fact that we've got 80-odd Territorians
(02:12):
that are currently in hospital beds because we don't have
aged care spaces for them. So what are you guys
hearing throughout these hearings that have been held so far?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
We're hearing some really, really terrible stories from older Australians
who are so terrified of losing their health insurance because
when you get older, you rely on your private health
insurance or on the health system a lot more than
you do when you're younger. They're so terrified of losing that.
They're saying they're going to go without a meal every
day so they can afford it. They're saying they won't
(02:44):
turn the air conditioning on in summer or the heating
on in winter. You know, they're going to go without
what things that, you know, the everyday Australian would think
are just things that you would be expected to be
able to get access to. They're saying they're going to
drop those because they're so terrified. But others are just
saying they have no other choice. They're going to have
to drop their private health insurance. And in the process
(03:05):
of doing that, instead of their private health insurer paying
for their health care, the public, the taxpayer will pay
for it. So, you know, they're really harrowing stories we're hearing.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
And tell me, are there going to be hearings here
in the Northern Territory or have you heard from Territorians?
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Well, we've certainly heard from Territorians. We've been running a
survey and any of your listeners that want to join
the survey, jump online, go onto the Australian Parliament House website,
chuck a submission into the inquiry and make sure your
voice is heard. But I'm intending to spend as much
time as I can when I'm not here in Canberra,
travelling around Australia and speaking to people on the ground
(03:43):
about how it will affect them, how it will affect
their families, how it's going to affect their community. You know,
speaking to the private hospital system and the state governments
and territory governments about how it affects them. So I'm
hoping that I'll get back to the territory. I was
there a couple of weeks ago on another hearing, hoping
to get back to the territory because... We know that
you have some unique challenges because you're so far away,
(04:05):
you know, your extra cost of living pressures on the people.
So we want to make sure we hear from all
Australians in the hope that this federal government will hear
their voices and realise that this policy is actually going
to be so harmful to so many Australians.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Yeah, look, I think it's really important, and particularly when
you look at the Northern Territory at the moment and
the fact that we have got 80-odd, you know, older
Territorians who are currently stuck in hospital beds because there's
nowhere else for them. And, Senator, I'm sure that you're
aware that for us here in the NT as well,
we've had the announcement about an aged care facility being built,
(04:41):
we've had a provider named, but we are still waiting
for that aged care facility to actually be built.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
And this is a problem around Australia in that the
government's failure more generally in aged care facilities has reduced
the confidence in the aged care sector to actually build
new beds. And we saw last week, because of the
government's failure to provide the funding to actually pay for
the care of older Australians in residential care, that the
(05:10):
residential care providers who were previously going to start building
new beds are saying that they no longer will. And
we know that there is such a huge demand in
the Northern Territory And so this is really, really damning.
But we need to be calling the government out. So
anybody who wants to have a loud voice and say
to the government, it's not right that older Australians are
(05:30):
stuck in hospital. It's not right that they're not getting
awarded packages. It's not right that they're having their extra
rebate to stay in private health insurance. It's almost like
this government is declaring war on older Australians.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Well, that was certainly the sentiment that Sue Shearer from
the Council of the Ageing gave us yesterday. She was
really upset, you know, like she was pissed off, to
put it bluntly. And I know that there are plenty
of senior Territorians that are pretty pissed off about some
of these changes. On the flip side, though, Senator, of course,
the government, the federal government says that these changes are
going to save almost $ 3 billion over four years. I mean,
(06:06):
where do you believe that money should come from instead
if these cuts don't go ahead?
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Well, this is choices that governments always have and the
idea that somehow that you have to steal from the
health insurance sector to pay for aged care shows a
government that is completely and utterly incompetent and not in
control of their own budget. I mean, I don't think
any Australian would suggest that we should have some sort
of trade-off that every time you want something more in
the health system, you've got to steal it from the
(06:34):
aged care system and neither should it happen the other
way around. You know, the government actually needs to... Put
some productivity back into the economy. Stop taxing people for
things unnecessarily. Stop putting red tape and green tape burdens
in the way and costing businesses a whole heap of
money that doesn't achieve anything. So I think the government
(06:56):
actually needs to work out how to run an economy
instead of just carving up the pie in a different way.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Senator, if there is anybody listening this morning that's thinking
to themselves, I do want to have my say on
these rebate changes and these cuts, where should they go to?
Is there a way that they can get in contact
with you to make sure that their voice is heard?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yes, absolutely. So just send in an email to senator.ruston,
and my surname's R-U-S-T-O-N, at APH, which stands for Australian
Parliament House,. gov.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Au.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Send it through there and I'll make sure. Or alternatively,
if you want to get in touch with your local
senator up there, Jacinta Nambajimpa-Price, get in touch with her.
I know that she's got offices in the Northern Territory. But, yeah,
send it through. But equally, make sure that any of
your members of parliament, so get in touch with your
Labor members of parliament and tell them that you think
(07:50):
this is absolutely unfair on older Australians and unfair on Territorians.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Well, Senator Anne Ruston, I really appreciate your time this morning.
Thank you very much for having a chat with us.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Thank you. That's Senator Anne Ruston there. She's the Shadow
Minister for Health and Aged Care. And look, we did
put in a request to actually speak to the Minister
for Aged Care, for Health and Aged Care. Well, just
Aged Care, actually, because we've tried, we've literally stalked the
Health Minister on several occasions, Mark Butler, and haven't been
(08:23):
able to get him on. So we've tried to get
the Minister for Aged Care, Sam Ray, on the show
as well. To no avail. We did get quite an
extensive statement though yesterday. I mean, you know, this is
a big issue for a lot of older Territorians, a
lot of our senior Territorians, as you heard about yesterday.
(08:43):
with Sue Shearer from the Council of the Aging. They're
concerned about these changes and this plan to cut the
private health insurance rebate for more than 3.2 million older Australians.
But we also know that a really big concern is
the fact that we've got a number of Territorians that
are in hospital beds rather than aged care beds outside
(09:05):
of a hospital facility. That has a big impact on
those seniors and it has a big impact on those families.
that are also in that situation. Now, the Federal Aged
Care Minister had said in that statement, we know that
this was in relation to the new aged care facility
being built in Darwin, saying, we know that this project
(09:26):
is important to many older people and their families in
the Northern Territory, and we'll have more to say soon.
While projects this complex can't come to life overnight, we're
working closely and cooperatively with all involved to move as
quickly as possible... and also said the Albanese Government is
working closely with Auscare and the Northern Territory Government to
(09:46):
progress this project as a matter of priority. The work
currently being done is essential to ensure we help establish
a viable, high-quality development that can meet Darwin's long-term aged
care needs. So that is part of the statement from
the Federal Aged Care Minister, Sam Ray.
Public hearings into the federal government's plan to cut the
private health insurance rebate for more than 3.2 million older Australians. Well,
those public hearings are underway. The Senate inquiry is examining
legislation reducing this rebate from 28% to 24% for people
aged 65 to 69. and from 32% to 24% for
(00:22):
those over the age of 70. Now, the federal government
says that these changes are going to save almost $ 3
billion over four years, but the coalition is vowing to
block this bill, warning that higher premiums could push older
Aussies out of that private health cover and onto already
stretched public hospitals. And this is something we've spoken about
(00:44):
at length on this show. Now, joining us On the
show is Senator Anne Ruston. She's the Shadow Minister for
Health and Aged Care. Good morning to you, Senator.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Good morning.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Thanks so much for your time this morning. Now, Senator,
why is the Coalition so strongly opposed to this rebate cut?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Because we think it's completely a false economy. What this
will do is force older Australians into the public system
and we already know that the public system around Australia,
particularly our hospital system, is under incredible pressure. But also
the savings that the government is saying that they are
going to save, they know will never be realised because
(01:25):
the modelling that they've received shows that for every dollar
the federal government saves on this private health rebate to
older Australians will actually end up with $ 1. 20 being spent
in hospital admissions and pressure on our public hospitals. It's
quite crazy because at the end of the day, whilst
the federal government might save a dollar, the taxpayers ultimately,
(01:45):
who are the ones that fund the government, will end
up being paying $ 1.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
20.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I mean, it's just ridiculous policy.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Senator, tell me, what have you heard so far throughout
these hearings? Because certainly for us on the show, we've
got people who are pretty concerned about this. We spoke
to Sue Shearer, the CEO of the Council of the
Aging here in the Northern Territory yesterday. She's pretty upset
with it. And, you know, you add to that in
the Northern Territory the fact that we've got 80-odd Territorians
(02:12):
that are currently in hospital beds because we don't have
aged care spaces for them. So what are you guys
hearing throughout these hearings that have been held so far?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
We're hearing some really, really terrible stories from older Australians
who are so terrified of losing their health insurance because
when you get older, you rely on your private health
insurance or on the health system a lot more than
you do when you're younger. They're so terrified of losing that.
They're saying they're going to go without a meal every
day so they can afford it. They're saying they won't
(02:44):
turn the air conditioning on in summer or the heating
on in winter. You know, they're going to go without
what things that, you know, the everyday Australian would think
are just things that you would be expected to be
able to get access to. They're saying they're going to
drop those because they're so terrified. But others are just
saying they have no other choice. They're going to have
to drop their private health insurance. And in the process
(03:05):
of doing that, instead of their private health insurer paying
for their health care, the public, the taxpayer will pay
for it. So, you know, they're really harrowing stories we're hearing.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
And tell me, are there going to be hearings here
in the Northern Territory or have you heard from Territorians?
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Well, we've certainly heard from Territorians. We've been running a
survey and any of your listeners that want to join
the survey, jump online, go onto the Australian Parliament House website,
chuck a submission into the inquiry and make sure your
voice is heard. But I'm intending to spend as much
time as I can when I'm not here in Canberra,
travelling around Australia and speaking to people on the ground
(03:43):
about how it will affect them, how it will affect
their families, how it's going to affect their community. You know,
speaking to the private hospital system and the state governments
and territory governments about how it affects them. So I'm
hoping that I'll get back to the territory. I was
there a couple of weeks ago on another hearing, hoping
to get back to the territory because... We know that
you have some unique challenges because you're so far away,
(04:05):
you know, your extra cost of living pressures on the people.
So we want to make sure we hear from all
Australians in the hope that this federal government will hear
their voices and realise that this policy is actually going
to be so harmful to so many Australians.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Yeah, look, I think it's really important, and particularly when
you look at the Northern Territory at the moment and
the fact that we have got 80-odd, you know, older
Territorians who are currently stuck in hospital beds because there's
nowhere else for them. And, Senator, I'm sure that you're
aware that for us here in the NT as well,
we've had the announcement about an aged care facility being built,
(04:41):
we've had a provider named, but we are still waiting
for that aged care facility to actually be built.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
And this is a problem around Australia in that the
government's failure more generally in aged care facilities has reduced
the confidence in the aged care sector to actually build
new beds. And we saw last week, because of the
government's failure to provide the funding to actually pay for
the care of older Australians in residential care, that the
(05:10):
residential care providers who were previously going to start building
new beds are saying that they no longer will. And
we know that there is such a huge demand in
the Northern Territory And so this is really, really damning.
But we need to be calling the government out. So
anybody who wants to have a loud voice and say
to the government, it's not right that older Australians are
(05:30):
stuck in hospital. It's not right that they're not getting
awarded packages. It's not right that they're having their extra
rebate to stay in private health insurance. It's almost like
this government is declaring war on older Australians.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Well, that was certainly the sentiment that Sue Shearer from
the Council of the Ageing gave us yesterday. She was
really upset, you know, like she was pissed off, to
put it bluntly. And I know that there are plenty
of senior Territorians that are pretty pissed off about some
of these changes. On the flip side, though, Senator, of course,
the government, the federal government says that these changes are
going to save almost $ 3 billion over four years. I mean,
(06:06):
where do you believe that money should come from instead
if these cuts don't go ahead?
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Well, this is choices that governments always have and the
idea that somehow that you have to steal from the
health insurance sector to pay for aged care shows a
government that is completely and utterly incompetent and not in
control of their own budget. I mean, I don't think
any Australian would suggest that we should have some sort
of trade-off that every time you want something more in
the health system, you've got to steal it from the
(06:34):
aged care system and neither should it happen the other
way around. You know, the government actually needs to... Put
some productivity back into the economy. Stop taxing people for
things unnecessarily. Stop putting red tape and green tape burdens
in the way and costing businesses a whole heap of
money that doesn't achieve anything. So I think the government
(06:56):
actually needs to work out how to run an economy
instead of just carving up the pie in a different way.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Senator, if there is anybody listening this morning that's thinking
to themselves, I do want to have my say on
these rebate changes and these cuts, where should they go to?
Is there a way that they can get in contact
with you to make sure that their voice is heard?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yes, absolutely. So just send in an email to senator.ruston,
and my surname's R-U-S-T-O-N, at APH, which stands for Australian
Parliament House,. gov.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Au.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Send it through there and I'll make sure. Or alternatively,
if you want to get in touch with your local
senator up there, Jacinta Nambajimpa-Price, get in touch with her.
I know that she's got offices in the Northern Territory. But, yeah,
send it through. But equally, make sure that any of
your members of parliament, so get in touch with your
Labor members of parliament and tell them that you think
(07:50):
this is absolutely unfair on older Australians and unfair on Territorians.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Well, Senator Anne Ruston, I really appreciate your time this morning.
Thank you very much for having a chat with us.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Thank you. That's Senator Anne Ruston there. She's the Shadow
Minister for Health and Aged Care. And look, we did
put in a request to actually speak to the Minister
for Aged Care, for Health and Aged Care. Well, just
Aged Care, actually, because we've tried, we've literally stalked the
Health Minister on several occasions, Mark Butler, and haven't been
(08:23):
able to get him on. So we've tried to get
the Minister for Aged Care, Sam Ray, on the show
as well. To no avail. We did get quite an
extensive statement though yesterday. I mean, you know, this is
a big issue for a lot of older Territorians, a
lot of our senior Territorians, as you heard about yesterday.
(08:43):
with Sue Shearer from the Council of the Aging. They're
concerned about these changes and this plan to cut the
private health insurance rebate for more than 3.2 million older Australians.
But we also know that a really big concern is
the fact that we've got a number of Territorians that
are in hospital beds rather than aged care beds outside
(09:05):
of a hospital facility. That has a big impact on
those seniors and it has a big impact on those families.
that are also in that situation. Now, the Federal Aged
Care Minister had said in that statement, we know that
this was in relation to the new aged care facility
being built in Darwin, saying, we know that this project
(09:26):
is important to many older people and their families in
the Northern Territory, and we'll have more to say soon.
While projects this complex can't come to life overnight, we're
working closely and cooperatively with all involved to move as
quickly as possible... and also said the Albanese Government is
working closely with Auscare and the Northern Territory Government to
(09:46):
progress this project as a matter of priority. The work
currently being done is essential to ensure we help establish
a viable, high-quality development that can meet Darwin's long-term aged
care needs. So that is part of the statement from
the Federal Aged Care Minister, Sam Ray.
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