LINUS POWER:
I'm really pleased to see that we're partnering with people who really get it. We know that in this greater Browns Plains area, there are people who've put off care, they put off care again and then their conditions become that much more urgent, that much more critical and that's much more costly, both for themselves and to the health system. We've got here a model that's a great partnership with the emergency department and the hospital system, where they're going to be there locally in this area and Browns Plains encouraging bulk billing in the area, but also providing that step between GPs who have limited service and the emergency departments that have so much more service. So I'm really pleased that we've got in the Health Minister and in the Treasurer, we've got a focus on this type of care that's actually going to provide both efficiencies for the system, but really deliver for people who are perhaps putting off care and then putting themselves in a tougher position later. This is exactly what we wanted. This is what we've advocated for here locally, and we're seeing the red tape being cut through and the funding coming through to deliver it, which is great.
JIM CHALMERS:
Well said Linus, and thanks Andrew and to everyone here for the opportunity to open this really wonderful urgent care clinic here in Browns Plains. The Albanese Government's number one priority is giving assistance with the cost of living and one of the real pressures on family budgets is out-of-pocket health costs. This is all about making it easier and cheaper to see a bulk-billing doctor and taking pressure off our local hospitals at the same time. We know that people are doing it tough. They shouldn't struggle to find a bulk-billing doctor as well. And so today is a really exciting day for our local community. I pay tribute to Linus for his advocacy, but also the other local members from around here - Leeanne Enoch and Cameron Dick. This is really important to us here in Logan City, that we are the first cab off the rank when it comes to the urgent care clinics, which were a feature of my first two budgets: $135 million in October, $359 million in the May Budget, all about making it easier and cheaper to see a doctor and take pressure off our local hospitals as well. Under this Albanese Government and with Mark Butler as the health minister, communities like ours have gone from the back of the queue to the front of the queue, and that's really important because this is where the out-of-pocket health cost pressures are the most acute. This is really the epicentre of the pressures on people trying to find a bulk-billing doctor. For all of the reasons that Linus mentioned, it's really important that we take these steps today. Alleviating cost of living pressures that people are feeling is our number one priority. We know people are under pressure and we want to make it easier not harder for them to find a bulk-billing doctor.
We will also find out later this week about the latest wages data. When it comes to the cost-of-living pressures, decent wages growth is part of the solution, not part of the problem. We want to see wages growing again as part of our efforts to ease the cost-of-living pressures that people are feeling right around the country but especially in communities like this one. Whether it's out of pocket health costs, rent assistance, help with electricity bills, right across the board, our highest priority is rolling out billions of dollars in cost-of-living relief and out of pocket health costs are part of the challenge that people are facing in communities like ours, and that's what the Albanese Government is focused on.
Also, I want to hand over to Shannon Fentiman, our health minister at the state level, but before I do that I wanted to acknowledge really the quite close work that we do with the Palaszczuk Labor Government. Initiatives like this show what's possible when state and federal governments are working together to take the pressure off the cost of living to make bulk-billing doctors more available in more parts of our country. There's a National Cabinet meeting this week. It will be primarily focused on housing but also health, and what we've tried to do in the 15 months or so that we've been in office at the federal level is to work with state governments, not against them, to make sure that we are representing communities like this one and providing the cost of living relief and the access to bulk-billing doctors that people need and deserve - at the same time as we build more houses with our broad and ambitious plan for housing to boost supply and try and take some of the pressure off rents. It's a real honour to work with Shannon Fentiman, not just as the health minister, but also as another Logan-based state MP, part of the Palaszczuk Labor Government.
SHANNON FENTIMAN:
Can I just thank our Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and also Mark Butler, the Health Minister. How wonderful is it as a state health minister to finally have a federal government that is investing in health? If you talk to families anywhere in Queensland right now, getting to see a GP is difficult and getting to see one that bulk bills is also really difficult. That's why these urgent care clinics will be such a game changer. We know that there is pressure on our emergency departments and part of the reason is because for a decade, we had serious underinvestment by the former federal LNP Government. It is so wonderful to have a federal government that has had the biggest investment in Medicare in history - tripling the bulk billing incentives, but also making sure that there are these wonderful facilities where Queenslanders like families here in Browns Plains can see a doctor at no charge. We know that some of the reasons why our emergency departments are under pressure is because people cannot afford or can't get in to see a GP or as Linus has said, they don't go and see a GP and they get sicker and their care becomes far more complex and they will often need to be admitted into a hospital bed. So these clinics and there'll be 11 of them right across Queensland, as well as our satellite hospitals, are all designed to make sure that families can get the health care they need close to home and take the pressure off our emergency department. So I'm really thrilled. Jim, thank you so much for your investment. I'm thrilled to be here at the opening of the very first urgent care clinic. This will be a game changer for families here in Logan to get the very best healthcare close to home.
JOURNALIST:
How do these urgent care clinics differ to normal clinics, and what can people expect?
CHALMERS:
What we're trying to do here is we're trying to provide another option for local people, not to replace the relationship that people have with their regular GP but to make sure, if you have a little one who might have a sprain or maybe a broken bone, that instead of heading to the emergency department of Logan or QEII that they can come to an urgent care clinic and get that urgent medical attention that they need, and also to make sure that there are bulk billing doctors available to them. So it's another option that people will have not to replace their long-term relationship with their GP but to try and take some of the pressure off our emergency departments. Talking to doctors and nurses here and the people here, it's very easy to see the kinds of things that local people will present with bumps and bruises and sprains and breaks, maybe short term, episodic illnesses, and so our aspiration here, our objective here, and our expectation is that it will take some of the pressure off the other local health options at the same time as it makes it easier and cheaper for people to see a billing doctor.
JOURNALIST:
Is there any indication of how many people may use this service, or is it a bit hard to tell?
ANDREW COHEN:
I can tell you that with the Victorian clinics - the six clinics - we're seeing 15,000 patients a day after the first three months and that's ramping up. So I actually think, you'll probably double or even triple that over time, as people understand the service better.
JOURNALIST:
Can we jump to some other issues? Let's go to stage three tax cuts. Do you think this needs to be debated further at your National Labor Conference this week?
CHALMERS:
The Government's position on the stage three tax cuts hasn't changed but we welcome and embrace people having the opportunity to raise these sorts of issues at our national conference. Labor is a genuinely grassroots party and our national conference gives delegates from right around the country the opportunity to raise all kinds of issues. At the end of the day, the Government's policy on taxes, determined by the Cabinet and Opposition, hasn't changed.
JOURNALIST:
What about our Tillies win the other day? I know they've been talking about maybe making a public holiday? What is the threshold for that? We had the Diamonds win - why not a public holiday for our netball champions too?
CHALMERS:
Look, I'm not sure about the threshold for it but I can't imagine that there would be many Australians who would quibble with the opportunity to celebrate the most remarkable group of Australian women. And Linus knows this - I've not traditionally been into soccer, football that much in the 20 or 30 years that I've known Linus - but I tell you, I just find it so incredibly absorbing. It's absolutely unbelievable what the Matildas have been able to achieve already, and the way that they have brought the whole country behind them is really quite inspirational. And I watched it on Saturday night with my kids - they were engrossed, I was engrossed - the whole country. And you see that in the ratings figures and the way that people have really gotten around them. And so Wednesday night's going to be a big night against England, in Sydney. And I'll leave decisions about public holidays and the like to the Prime Minister. But really, just to say we couldn't be prouder of the Matildas, their effort, their commitment, and the really quite remarkable character they bring to their sport and to their endeavour. So, I might just get Shannon Fentiman to add to that - I know she'd like to.
FENTIMAN:
I totally echo what Jim had to say - these women are inspiring the next generation. That moment where Sam Kerr gave her jersey to that little girl. Her smile lit up the city. It's just wonderful, not only that they're inspiring the next generation, they're inspiring the entire nation. And I have to say, as the Minister for Women in Queensland, that we can fill a stadium to see women play football at Suncorp Stadium - it is just so inspiring, and good on them. I know the Premier was asked about this yesterday. We're going to take it one game at a time and I know we'll all be watching on Wednesday night.
JOURNALIST:
Treasurer, just on housing, a new report by Anglicare shows that essential workers are being hit the hardest by the rental crisis, only a few per cent can afford almost 50,000 rentals. Should the Government be building more affordable housing for those?
CHALMERS:
Absolutely, we need to make it easier for people to live near where they work. One of the biggest pressures we have in our communities and in our economy is the fact that there isn't enough affordable housing near where the jobs and opportunities are being created. The whole motivation of our broad and ambitious agenda for housing is about building more affordable housing. The biggest issue in the housing market is supply and so we want to build more housing. We've got a $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator, we've got the Housing Australia Future Fund held up in the Senate for reasons that I cannot fathom. We've got the biggest increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance in 30 years, we've got a whole bunch of other initiatives, billions of dollars that the Albanese Labor Government working closely with the Palaszczuk Government and other state governments, to deliver more housing where it's desperately needed. And I commend Anglicare for raising these important issues, as others have as well. We've got a huge challenge when it comes to housing in this country, it will be the central agenda item on Wednesday's National Cabinet meeting and that's as it should be. We are rolling out billions of dollars in support to build more public housing and more affordable housing at the same time, as we take some of the edge off these high rents that we're seeing in the rental market, as well.
JOURNALIST:
The home insurance thing that Australians are struggling with, what can the Government do to help with that issue?
CHALMERS:
Well, Stephen Jones, my colleague, has kicked off a parliamentary inquiry because we understand that these pressures, when it comes to insurance premiums are real. And we don't want people getting out of insurance because of their other cost-of-living pressures. So we've got a parliamentary inquiry, and when it comes to some of the pressures which are on premiums - particularly in the north but right around Australia - we also are investing more money in mitigation. Insurance is an important part of the story but also, as natural disasters become more frequent and more devastating, we need to invest more in mitigation - and that's what we're doing. My colleague, Murray Watt, is reorienting his budget as the Emergency Minister, so that we are investing more in mitigation, so that we can try and get in ahead of some of these natural disasters as well. And that - in time - will hopefully have a positive impact on premiums as well.
JOURNALIST:
Just on the bulk billing incentive from November 1 - do you fear that perhaps it still won't be enough incentive for a lot of these doctors to move back from private fees?
CHALMERS:
Well, we're confident that the billions of dollars that we are investing in bulk billing will shift the needle in communities like this one and right around Australia. Bulk billing when we came to government was probably in the worst nick it's been since Medicare began and you speak to parents through Grand Plaza here and right around the country and one of the key concerns people have is they can't find a bulk billing doctor - as Linus said, that means people are avoiding care or it's putting extreme pressure on family budgets. So billions of dollars in the bulk billing incentive, billions of dollars in strengthening Medicare more broadly and urgent care clinics to make it easier and cheaper to see a bulk billing doctor and take pressure off our emergency departments as well.
JOURNALIST:
Can you blame the doctors for wanting to take the extra money when they're probably getting, you know, 60, 70 bucks compared to 20, 40?
CHALMERS:
I'm not interested in questioning people's motives or pointing the finger of blame when it comes to this challenge in our health system. My job is to find billions of dollars to invest in bulk billing and in urgent care clinics - that's what I've done, I'm really proud of that. One of the central features of the May Budget was billions of dollars for bulk billing because we created Medicare - Labor did - and we believe in it and we need to strengthen it so that people can access the health care they need and deserve without it smashing their household budgets.
JOURNALIST:
Back to housing, Treasurer. Are we hopeful of a deal with the Greens if there's any movements on those rental rights?
CHALMERS:
It's time for the Greens to end the ambit claims and the political games in the Senate. If they really believe in building more public and affordable housing, they'll vote for it. It beggars belief, frankly, that a party that pretends to care about housing - the Greens party - wanders into the Senate and votes against 30,000 more social and affordable homes, including homes for women and kids fleeing domestic violence. It's time for the Greens to end their political games - if they support more social and affordable housing, it's time for them to vote for it.
JOURNALIST:
What kind of impact do you think this will have on taking the pressure off the EDs?
FENTIMAN:
A huge impact - we know in the last 12 months, we have seen almost 100 Queenslanders a day present at emergency departments across the state with a UTI, many thousands more present with earaches or needing stitches, some present with ingrown toenails - these are the sorts of things that families can now come here and see a doctor for free. Families who have their kids playing sport and they're not sure whether it's a sprain or a break, rather than head to the busy emergency department after hours, can come to these clinics, get the medical imaging they need. How wonderful that we can now have this health care so much closer to home - it will take the pressure off our emergency departments, but it will make it so much easier and more affordable for families to get that all important health care. So again, I want to thank our Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Mark Butler the Health Minister for working with us and working with our emergency departments to make sure that the right services are here in the community to take that pressure off.
JOURNALIST:
And is this an alternative to the hospitals or in what situation should people come here?
FENTIMAN:
It's for anything that is not life threatening. So again, if your kids are playing sport, I think that's the one most families will be most pleased to come here and get that treatment, but if you've got an ear ache or a UTI, minor infections, minor injuries, you still need that urgent care so you still can't sort of wait a few days to get in to see a GP, you can come here. There will be doctors, nurse practitioners, wonderful staff to get you the health care you need, a really wonderful opportunity to get that health care at no cost rather than heading to our hospitals.
JOURNALIST:
It's quite a similar structure to the satellite hospitals. Is there any fear of duplication or over-servicing with these things?
FENTIMAN:
Well, you've just heard the numbers from Andrew about the amount of people that are going through clinics in Victoria, we've worked really closely with the Federal Government, the Federal Health Minister and our Primary Health Networks to make sure that these locations work with our satellite hospitals here in the southeast but the other wonderful thing about these urgent care clinics is that they will also be opening in regional Queensland where we know there is also a need to make sure that people can get that health care at no cost close to home. So we're all working together to make sure that families know where they can and should go to get that appropriate health care but essentially, if it's non-life threatening but urgent, head to the urgent care clinics or our satellite hospitals - you will get wonderful health care and not have to wait at the emergency department.
JOURNALIST:
Is it linked with QAS?
FENTIMAN:
Absolutely. So as you may have seen, just downstairs they'll be opening the urgent care clinic, there is absolutely space for an ambulance to pull up. We're working with our paramedics to make sure they know where to transfer patients who may not need the hospital, but do need urgent care so it's a wonderful collaboration between our hospitals, the State Government, and the Federal Government and our Queensland Ambulance Service who will all know where people can go for the very best health care.
JOURNALIST:
But the onus comes back on the patient - they kind of decide, do they?
FENTIMAN:
If you call an ambulance because something is urgent, the paramedics will know whether or not your condition can be treated here, at a satellite hospital or whether it's best to get you straight to the ED.
JOURNALIST:
So hoping that'll help with some of our ramping issues?
FENTIMAN:
Oh, absolutely. As I said, we've seen a decade of underinvestment in primary care by the former LNP Federal Government - that has meant people haven't sought treatment, or they just cannot get in quickly to see a GP who bulk bills, so they are coming and presenting to our emergency departments with category four and five issues - now they can be dealt with in the community by our wonderful, hardworking doctors and nurses at clinics just like this one. Thank you.
CHALMERS:
Thanks everyone.