Interview with Peter Stefanovic, First Edition

24 February 2025

PETER STEFANOVIC: Well, health has emerged as a key front in the upcoming election battle, with Labor announcing an $8.5 billion funding boost for Medicare, only for that to be matched and then bettered by the Coalition yesterday. So much for fiscal discipline on both sides. Joining us live is the Shadow Finance Minister, Jane Hume. Jane, it's good to see you again this morning. So were you railroaded into this announcement to blunt Labor attacks yesterday?

JANE HUME: Pete the Coalition, has been consistent in its commitment towards essential services, guaranteeing essential services going forward, far from being railroaded. In fact, Peter Dutton was first out of the blocks to ensure that there was Medicare funding for 10 additional mental health places that was in his first Budget In Reply. Peter Dutton's commitment to a quality healthcare service has been unquestionable throughout this term of government, yet Medicare while they bleat an, Medicare- Labor, while they bleat an awful lot about Medicare, have taken three years to actually do anything about it, we'd invite them back to Parliament to pass any legislation or regulations that they need before the election begins, if their commitment to Medicare is so strong.

PETER STEFANOVIC: So your promise on this is at $9 billion, how are you going to pay for it?

JANE HUME: Pete, we've, for the last three years, we've been pointing to so much wasteful spending by this government. We've opposed billions, dozens of billions, nearly $100 billion worth of Labor spending that we would not have gone ahead with. So I don't think that's going to be a problem. In fact, it's now harder and more expensive…

PETER STEFANOVIC (interrupts): So you haven't decided yet, though you'll work it out later?

JANE HUME: Pete, that's not not at all what I said. I think we can, you can point to a number of things that we have said that we wouldn't do and that we won't do when the Coalition returns to government, but the fact is, at the moment, it's never been harder nor more expensive to see a GP. In fact, it's 45% more expensive to see a GP now than it was under a Coalition government, bulk billing rates have collapsed from 88% down to 77% and there are 40 billion GP visits in the last, under Labor that were not bulk billed, that they would have been bulk billed under the Coalition. Now that's simply not good enough. Labor's record on health has been abysmal. This is simply making up, this is dollars to make up for their failings. The Coalition government will be committed to ensuring that there is a quality healthcare system that delivers for all Australia.

PETER STEFANOVIC: So but for a party who says that, you know, it's big on fiscal discipline, that it can do a whole lot better than the current government is. I mean, does this really show fiscal discipline? And it's not just this announcement, it's nuclear as well, and without really explaining what cuts are going to be made to fund it all.

JANE HUME: Well, Pete, I think we've been pretty clear where we would not go ahead with Labor's commitments. In fact we’ve said…

PETER STEFANOVIC (talks over): Right, okay, but what are you going to cut?

JANE HUME: Well, we've said that we would not go ahead with a Future Made in Australia. We're not going to go ahead with production tax credits for companies to mine things that they were already going to do. We wouldn't go ahead with the housing Australia Future Fund, a ten billion commitment that has delivered zero houses, completed zero houses. We wouldn't go ahead with the Rewiring the Nation project. 28,000 kilometers of poles and wires stretching right across the country. That's the equivalent of going round the circumference of Australia twice, with poles and wires. These are all Labor commitments that we have opposed. There is plenty there. We want to make sure that Australians get a health care system that they expect and deserve. This is making up for Labor's failings, not the Coalition’s.

PETER STEFANOVIC: So despite all of this, you've got two new polls out today that are in your favor. So does this justify your approach?

JANE HUME: Pete, it will come as no surprise to you when I say, as I do most weeks, when I'm here with you, that the only poll that matters is the one on election day. In fact, last week, I was out door knocking for most of the week, and a number of different electorates and what they were saying to me on the ground, which is the only call that really matters, is that they cannot afford another three years of Labor. Australians have seen their living standards go backwards by 8.7% in the last three years alone, 27,000 businesses have gone under under Labor and the average Australian family with a mortgage, has paid an additional $50,000 in interest rate payments that they will never get back. People are poorer under Labor, that's what's being reflected in these polls.

PETER STEFANOVIC: Okay Jane, good to see you. Thank you. We'll chat again next week.