Leon Delaney:
The federal government has announced measures to hopefully deliver more bulk billing for residents in the ACT. Joining me now, the federal Member for Fenner and Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, Treasury and Employment, Dr Andrew Leigh – good afternoon.
Andrew Leigh:
Good afternoon, great to be with you.
Delaney:
Hopefully your role as Assistant Minister for Employment comes into play here, because you can employ more doctors to service the good people of the ACT. Is that the plan?
Leigh:
Well, I am no longer Assistant Minister for Employment.
Delaney:
They took that one off the list?! When did that happen?!
Leigh:
Following the election, but I have a responsibility for productivity which keeps me happy and productive. And I’m really excited about the measures we’re taking to get more bulk billing doctors in Canberra.
Delaney:
All right, so what are those measures in detail?
Leigh:
Well, bulk billing was in free‑fall when we came to office. As you know, the Coalition really didn’t care about it, and we saw huge challenges for bulk billing right here in the ACT. So, we’ve set about tripling the bulk‑billing incentive and extending it beyond pensioners and concession card holders to everyone who gets bulk billed. So that means that practices that bulk bill are financially much better off under the current arrangements than they would have been under previous arrangements.
But then, specifically for the ACT, we’ve announced that we’re going to be opening up a tender for 3 new purely bulk‑billing practices. That will mean that there will be 3 additional practices here in the ACT that are doing that terrific work of providing bulk billing services to everyone who walks in the door. Really restoring the promise of Medicare – a great Labor invention, and one that Labor always looks to make stronger.
Delaney:
Okay. The real challenge there though, is going to be finding staff for those centres isn’t it? That seems to be an issue for existing GP clinics. They’re already talking about the difficulty of attracting and retaining staff – not just doctors, but support staff as well, in practices here in the ACT. So, where are you going to find these additional doctors and support staff to fill these new centres?
Leigh:
Well, we’re training more doctors than ever before. That’s been a real priority for our government, and we know that when there are strong incentives in place, then we’re able to attract doctors. The National Health Co‑Op was very successful in attracting doctors here to the ACT under a purely bulk‑billing model. And we’re now making it much more financially attractive to be a bulk billing doctor here in the ACT, which is going to entice more doctors to come and set up here.
Delaney:
There have been concerns expressed by doctors that even with the increased incentive payments, it still may not be enough because of the unique circumstances faced in the ACT where the cost of operating a clinic is substantially higher than in many other jurisdictions around Australia. What’s it going to take to convince doctors to actually provide these bulk‑billed services to the bulk of their patients?
Leigh:
Well, let’s go through what we’re doing. I mean, as I said, we’ve tripled the bulk‑billing incentives, we’ve now extended that to GPs for every single person who comes through the door – not just for children and pensioners. Then if you bulk bill all of your patients, you get a practice incentive payment of 12.5 per cent. And then on top of that, we’ve got this $10 million fund in order to attract 3 pure bulk‑billing practices here to the ACT. So, we’ve got measures that operate strongly across the board, but specific measures here for the ACT, where the bulk billing rate has been too low.
Delaney:
And I know, you’ve outlined all that already, but I spoke to Dr Kerrie Aust yesterday afternoon and she has expressed these concerns about, you know, the possible challenges of finding the staff to operate these clinics and the challenge of actually convincing GPs here in Canberra that they can be better off under these new arrangements because that so far has been a problem in the past – that the incentives previously were not enough. And yes they’ve been increased, but they’re still not convinced that will be enough given those challenges that are unique to the ACT.
Leigh:
Well, this model has worked in other parts of the country. We’ve seen this successfully increase bulk billing rates in places like Rockhampton. It sits alongside the successes we’ve had in opening the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Woden, which Dave Smith and Katy Gallagher had been strongly championing.
Then we know that the Department of Health can see the finances of each of the practices. So, they’ve now set up a calculator which allows practices to immediately go on and see how much better off they’ll be by moving to being a complete bulk‑billing practice. And our calculations are that many practices will be financially better off in doing it. It’s not just good for patients; it will be good for doctors.
Delaney:
Well, if it works it absolutely will be good for doctors and for patients and that would be, you know, fantastic if that is the ultimate outcome. And as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so time will tell if I can mix my metaphors. Now we’ve got a couple of other things very quickly as well. Your most recent opinion piece, I believe, published on The New Daily. Once again, you’re banging the drum about getting rid of non‑compete clauses in employment contracts, and we’ve spoken about those many times before. What’s the hold‑up here? We’ve been talking about this for ages. Shouldn’t they be gone by now?
Leigh:
Well I’m making the public case, and of course, we’re preparing legislation that will come into the parliament to deliver on the government’s commitment to scrap non‑compete clauses for 9 out of 10 workers by the start of 2027. That’s a commitment that the government has made, but it is important for us to continue the public advocacy. Making the case for reform here, as we always do, and alongside that consulting with people.
We’re hearing some really troubling stories back in these consultations Leon – stories about people on modest wages being slapped with non‑compete clauses that prevent them working for months or sometimes even years, in not just suburbs but whole states and sometimes across all of Australia. There’s constrained mobility; it’s unfair, but it’s also a burden on freedom. People who believe in the freedom of workers to work where they like and the freedom of people to set up enterprises should oppose non‑compete clauses.
Delaney:
Well, you know I’m on board fully with that, because I’ve always believed that if a business no longer wishes to employ me, then they have no business telling me what I can do and what I can’t do. I think the same argument applies to some other elements of employment contracts where some businesses, for example, would not allow me to take on a second job in my own time over which they should have no control.
Leigh:
Yeah, and part of the consultation is looking at those restraints on simultaneous arrangements. If you’re working in an area where you could easily take secrets across to the other firm, then you can see why something like that might be justified. If you’re a delivery worker who’s operating off 2 different gig platforms, it certainly doesn’t seem justified for the gig provider to prevent you from working for a competitor. So, we need a sort of case‑by‑case approach to that, but again, our general disposition is against restraints on workers because we know allowing workers to move is good for productivity and good for the nation.
Delaney:
Absolutely. No argument from me. Now finally, the Prime Minister is currently in New York. He has addressed the United Nations, but apparently he has failed to secure a face‑to‑face meeting with US President Donald Trump. What’s gone wrong? Why doesn’t Donald Trump like us anymore?
Leigh:
Well, the Prime Minister’s spoken on 4 different occasions with the US President. That is a normal course of affairs. The US President obviously is juggling arrangements. He’s had a funeral to attend recently, and you know, there will be a meeting that takes place in due course. But we’ve got a positive engagement, including through the ambassador, including for a whole range of telephone conversations. We will continue to engage constructively with US administration in the national interest.
Delaney:
Yeah, but the last time Donald Trump said anything specifically about Australia was to chastise an Australian journalist for setting a bad tone and harming Australia’s interests. I’m not entirely convinced that he actually spends a lot of time thinking about Australia?
Leigh:
Well, we’ve been very clear that we’re strong supporters of press freedom. That’s been a view expressed from the Prime Minister down. And certainly, the commitment that we have is to delivering on Australia’s interests, which is what the Prime Minister is doing with a series of meetings in the United States and the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
It’s been a very productive trip. I think he’s taken the views of the vast majority of Australians to the United Nations with the recognition of the State of Palestine – a state in which Hamas would play no role, but a state whose creation is strongly in the interests of peace in the Middle East.
Delaney:
Yes. Well, that’s a whole other can of worms, but Benjamin Netanyahu apparently told the Prime Minister that there will never be a state of Palestine. So, it all seems a bit futile doesn’t it?
Leigh:
Well, that was the promise that was made in 1948, that there would be 2 states: Israel and Palestine – operating peacefully side by side. Australia has been a strong supporter of the state of Israel from its inception. And we’re supporters of the aspirations of the Palestinian people to have a state of their own. We believe that that is in the interests of the people of Israel and Palestine. We’re supported in that by Canada and the United Kingdom who came to the same view at the same time. Australia played a pivotal role in the founding in the United Nations, and we’ve played an important role in the creation of the state of Israel and in the creation of the state of Palestine.
Delaney:
Andrew, thanks very much for your time today.
Leigh:
Thanks so much Leon.