Panel with Karl Stefanovic and Monique Ryan, Today Show

10 August 2023

KARL STEFANOVIC: Welcome back to the show. Well, horror scenes unfortunately this morning unfolding in Hawaii right now. Check it out. At least six people have been killed in these major wildfires raging across the island of Maui, particularly the western parts of Maui, around the Lahaina area there. They were under the pump last night and a lot of the township has been razed by these fires. It wasn't a lot of places to go. Some ended up in the ocean. Can you believe that, to try and escape the flames. The situation is still very much unfolding. Hundreds of thousands of Aussies obviously head to Hawaii, mainly Honolulu, but some to the islands, every year. DFAT is warning and also our embassies are warning to stay away from those areas. If you're planning to go and if you're there, try and remain in contact. But unfortunately, there are significant issues with logistics in terms of communication there this morning to it's only going to get worse. That story. Joining us to discuss today's headlines is Liberal Senator Jane Hume and independent MP Monique Ryan. Good morning, ladies. Jane, terrible situation unfolding there.

JANE HUME: Well, those pictures are so frightening, aren't they? Carl And our heart goes out to those families of the people that have fallen victim to these bushfires. It's a little frightening to see Paradise go up in flames. Last month it was Greece, this month, it's Hawaii.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Look, Monique, it reminds me a little bit of some of the vision we saw from the Victorian fires a few years ago and also some of the stories of these flames being fanned from kilometres away. Just awful for emergency services and tourists and locals there.

MONIQUE RYAN: Yeah, dreadful. I hope that all the Australians in Hawaii are safe and thoughts with all those Americans affected by this. All right.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Well, said. Australia's biggest lender the Commonwealth Bank has just posted a record $10.2 billion cash profit despite millions of customers struggling to cope with rising interest rates and the cost of living Jane. Well, the 10 billion in profits more than 10 million to the boss. How does that sit?

JANE HUME: Yeah, you can understand when there's more than 1.4 million Australians that are at risk of mortgage stress right now and even more coming off those fixed rate mortgages in the next few months. Why those sorts of enormous numbers would get up your nose and you know, quite rightly so I think the most important thing here now for the Commonwealth Bank is to ensure that when those interest rate rises occur, that they're not just being passed on to lenders, which they do at whiplash speed. But also to depositors because that sometimes happens at glacial pace. Most importantly, and most importantly, that the Commonwealth Bank and other banks provide appropriate and very generous hardship programs for those customers. Those are their customers that are really doing it tough right now.

KARL STEFANOVIC: They need to do that too Monique, don’t they? And pronto.

MONIQUE RYAN: They absolutely do. But you know, it's really hard to understand this situation when so many Australians are really struggling with cost of living pressures. And I think our banks perhaps need to be held to account on these record profits and on the payments that they're making to their senior executives. I think you know, people who are clients of these organizations have a right to feel a bit aggrieved about this financial situation.

KARL STEFANOVIC: No, I agree with that wholeheartedly and look, there's a lot of feedback coming into our inbox, and we'll read that out to everyone at home later, but it does not sit well. For us also on that story coming up. Well, there were warnings this morning from the Business Council of Australia that the lack of housing supply must not reduce my rent intake. Amid the PMs push for a $10 billion housing package. Jane it comes down to one thing I guess where's everyone? Going to live? I mean, this is a real needle for the Albanese government right now.

JANE HUME: That's right. I mean, Australia's prosperity and progress has been underpinned by a well run migration program for decades. But well run, well managed is part of that and building the infrastructure, making sure that there's housing supply around that is part of a well run migration program. We want to make sure that the skill sets that we need here are filled here. We want to make sure that we're bringing in students, but we have to be able to accommodate them both in housing but also with infrastructure as well. And this is the issue for the Labor government. Now, quite frankly, the idea that Anthony Albanese is only going to National Cabinet now about this is beyond me, because let's face it, the housing crisis has been going on for some time and with wall to wall Labor premiers across mainland Australia. Why can't you just pick up the phone and get them to release that supply? Surely Anthony Albanese has the respect of his Labor premiers to be able to do that.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Well, there are some indicating this morning and with respect, I mean, it was coming when you are in government as well. But Monique, in regards to this housing issue. The fact that he's gone to the states means that he may have lost a little bit of control of the narrative.

MONIQUE RYAN: Well, as Senator Hume just said, the housing crisis has been going for a long time. We've seen this coming her the governor which he was a part previously should have seen this coming. But Australia is a country which is built on migrants in most of us come from migrant stock, and he's going to build the houses that we need. This is a problem of supply. So I think that we need to continue our Migrant Program as the Business Council of Australia has said overnight, and we need to support those people to make a home in this country as so many of our families have been able to do.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Number one issue in Australia right now housing affordability and cost of living pressures. I mean, I just saw this story coming out of Victoria last night at Nine News in Melbourne motorists in Melbourne are covering a sky high petrol prices right now. $2.30, $2.40 a litre at one servo, and then across the rest of town it's $1.76. These are the sort of I mean, I don't know how else to explain to someone mentioned gouging. Monique?

MONIQUE RYAN: Yes, well exactly. So that's why you go to Fuel Watch.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Yeah I know, but then the problem is cost of living issues. I mean, it's not just filling up the family car. It's filling up business cars, and then there's flow on effects for that the church are all inflationary.

MONIQUE RYAN: Absolutely, and I'm hearing from my constituents every day about how the cost of living pressures are affecting them. And that's why I'm supporting things like the 60 day prescription rules, which the Liberal Party are actively opposing at this moment, because all of us need to do what we can do in this place to help Australians with their cost of living pressures.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Jane, don't you want cheaper pharmaceuticals?

JANE HUME: Absolutely, we want cheaper pharmaceuticals and we also support 60 day dispensing, particularly as a cost of living measure. But the problem is we want it done right. And let's face it, the pharmacies have not been consulted on this. We're actually concerned that because of the botched way that this policy has unfolded, that some of Australia's most vulnerable will, in fact, have more expensive medicines. Plus communities can be left without a pharmacy, which sometimes is the only provider of health care within a particular region. That's a real problem. We want the Labor Government to go back to the drawing board, consult with the communities, consult with the pharmacies that are affected so that this policy can be delivered effectively.

KARL STEFANOVIC: All right, I'll let you ladies battle it out in Parliament today. Thank you so much for that.