Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
2CC Breakfast with Stephen Cenatiempo
TOPICS: Work from home, public service cuts, Medicare, Labor lies, economy
8 April 2025
E&OE
Stephen Cenatiempo
Now we’ve heard over the last 24 hours the Coalition seems to be walking back a couple of its policies, one for public servants to return to the office and also the cuts to the public service, that will now be done via attrition rather than forced redundancies. To talk to us about this, we’re joined by the Shadow Attorney General and Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace relations. Michaelia Cash. Senator, good morning.
Senator Cash
Good morning, Stephen and good morning to your listeners.
Stephen Cenatiempo
Michaelia, these were both good policies. Have you just failed to get the messaging right here?
Senator Cash
Well, I think what happened was we were subjected to a huge scare campaign by Mr. Albanese and the Labor Party. We never had any policy impacting on the private sector, work from home arrangements. And yet, our candidates, when they were out and about, talking to people while they were door knocking, people actually thought that’s what the policy was. So hey, it was a Labor lie, but it was an effective Labor lie. So we’ve listened. We understand the feedback that flexible work, including working from home, is part of getting the best out of any workforce. We obviously want the best out of our public service, and we’ve listened, we’ve learned, and we will not change current flexible working arrangements, including work from home policies.
Stephen Cenatiempo
So how do you address this moving forward? Because the scare campaigns aren’t going to stop. I mean, the Medicare, Mediscare campaign has been rolling on for the better part of 10 or 12 years now, and does Peter Dutton and you as a member of the front bench, you need to get on the front foot and start attacking back on these things.
Senator Cash
Absolutely. And I have to say, I think Mr. Albanese’s Mediscare campaign has completely fallen flat for that exact reason. We have been able to present to the Australian people, the facts both under us and under Mr. Albanese. And when you understand the facts under Mr. Albanese, and you’re living it every day, it’s never been harder or more expensive, you know, to see a general practitioner than under the Albanese Labor government. I think what’s worse is on Mr. Albanese watch – it is a fact that bulk billing has collapsed by 11% it’s gone down. Under us it was 87 plus percent, 88% – under them it’s 77.7%. In fact, in my home state, it’s actually down to 70.5%. 270 GP practices have closed. We are presenting the Australian people with the facts. They are living those facts on a daily basis. And they understand that. I mean, but you know, you’ve got to look at Mr. Albanese, Stephen. This is a man who will do and say anything. He fell off a stage the other day. It was there for all to see the video evidence, and he lied. We were subjected to a huge Labor scare campaign. Let’s face it, it worked. But in saying that we listened to the feedback, we’ve taken on board the feedback, and I have to say, I think it goes to the leadership and courage of Peter Dutton, who wants to lead our country as Prime Minister, to say he made a mistake, he’s listened to the Australian people, and I would have thought that’s what you want out of a Prime Minister. Not someone who falls off a stage and then lies about it.
Stephen Cenatiempo
I still question whether it was a mistake, but I want to get back to the Medicare thing for a moment and attrition in the public service. We all know that public service is too big. I mean, 41,000 additional public servants since this government came to power, but attrition rates would indicate that most of the attrition is coming from departments where the Coalition, I imagine, would want to maintain that strength, places like Home Affairs and some of those security agencies, which obviously as Attorney General, if you’re elected, will be your portfolio. Don’t you need to protect those numbers.
Senator Cash
And we are. So we have said we will sensibly reduce the size of the public service, excluding military and reserves, by over 41,000 over five years, we will bring it back to a sustainable level. But this is the clear commitment from Peter Dutton – while protecting frontline service delivery and national security positions. And as we said yesterday, this will be done methodically through a hiring freeze and natural attrition. But why are we doing it Stephen? Because, as you know, Labor has added more than 41,000 new public servant positions. That’s actually a more than 20% increase in three years. But this is the issue. Australians are not any better serviced by the bureaucratic blowout. And in fact, if you look at, say, the annual data on Medicare eligibility and enrolment claims – it takes 49 days to now process a Medicare eligibility and enrolment claim. It was just 19 days under the Coalition. If you’re a person seeking an age pension, I get these calls to my office – under the coalition, you’d wait 35 days to have your claim processed, despite the additional 41,000 new public service positions under Labor, the latest data now tells us it’s 76 days. So again, despite adding 1000s of new bureaucrats both processing and call wait times have blown out. That means the Australian people are not being serviced better, and we believe that you need an effective and efficient public service. But to go back to your point, we will protect and Peter has been clear, don’t listen to Labor lies on this. We will protect frontline service delivery and national security positions.
Stephen Cenatiempo
I want to go back to this Medicare issue playing into Labour’s hands here when you focus on the bulk billing rates. Because isn’t that the problem with that, with Medicare, that we focus on bulk billing is the be all and end all. And I mean, here in Canberra, we have the lowest bulk billing rates in the country, and I always say so we should have because we have the highest incomes too. But having said that, trying to get into a GP here in Canberra is almost impossible. But that’s another issue. We need to be honest about Medicare and say that, you know, if you can afford to go to the doctor, you should pay to go to the doctor, but if you can’t, we’ll cover you.
Senator Cash
I think what we need to be very clear about what Mr. Albanese is not telling the Australian people. I mean, I’ve seen him this morning again, standing in front of a sign that says strengthening Medicare, which is a little ironic, given they are the ones in three years that have weakened Medicare. I mean, I talk to Australians every single day I go around the country, what they will tell you is their lived reality. It has never been harder or more expensive to see a GP than it is now. They cannot find a bulk billing doctor. Why? Because there are 41 million fewer free bulk Bill GP services under Mr. Albanese. They often can’t find a doctor. Why? 270 GP practices have closed. But I think one of the most egregious decisions of the Albanese government is cutting the subsidized mental health sessions from 20 down to 10. They talk about mental health, and yet they refuse to admit to the reality they were the ones that cut subsidized mental health sessions down from 20 to 10. We’ve been clear. We will reverse that, and we will make it permanent. So I think from just talking to Australians, it’s important that we tell them the truth about what Mr. Albanese has done to Medicare under his government. And the irony Stephen of Mr. Albanese standing every single day in front of a strengthening Medicare sign waving his Medicare card around when it is his government. It is his government that has damaged Medicare by their decisions.
Stephen Cenatiempo
Michaelia from a broader campaign perspective, do you think he can get things back on track this week?
Senator Cash
I think given, in particular, what has occurred in the United States, I think for us, this is when you need a strong, steady hand managing the economy. A government with a proven track record. And in the face of uncertainty, it really does heighten that choice for the Australian people, as I said, of the strong, steady hand and strong economic management. And in that respect, the choice is clear. I would say to the Australian people, look at the Coalition’s strong track record of shepherding Australia through turbulent economic times. You go back to John Howard and Peter Costello, you know, they shepherded Australia through the Asian financial crisis, the dot com bubble. We also rebuilt the budget, if you recall back at the time, so that we could respond to the GFC. And then you look at the nine years of government that we had under the Coalition, we balanced the budget before COVID, we steered Australia through the pandemic, and then you contrast that to the last three years. Labor has trashed the economy. But what is worse? And you look at all the economic commentators today, Stephen, they are saying Albanese Labor has left us unprepared for the shock that is now coming. And what is worse is you saw Jim Chalmers stand up yesterday and talk about the pre election fiscal outlook. But what he didn’t tell the Australian people is this – Treasury have now confirmed four years of deficits totalling $179.5 billion. Debt is set to soar to $1.2 trillion if Labor are re elected. And 10 years of higher taxes. Why? Because the tax to GDP cap is set to be breached again. For us, it is now important for us to go back to who is better to manage the economy. There is a better way to get our country back on track. It is with the strong, steady hand of a Coalition government that has a proven track record of shepherding Australia through turbulent economic times, versus in three short years, Mr. Albanese and Labor, who’ve trashed the economy, and left us unprepared for the shock that is now coming.
[ENDS]
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