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
Press Conference – Perth
TOPICS: Health funding, small businesses, cost of living, north west shelf, industrial relations, CFMEU
31 March 2025
E&OE
Senator Cash:
Well, the Prime Minister has been in Western Australia today trying to yet again, dupe the people of Western Australia. And I would say to the good people of WA, judge the Prime Minister by his actions, not his words. The Prime Minister was at Midland Hospital this morning talking up his government’s record on Medicare. His government does not have a good record on Medicare, that is a fact.
What the Prime Minister forgot to tell the people of Western Australia is that under Mr Albanese’s government, bulk billing in Australia has collapsed. It has collapsed by 11 per cent. In other words, it is costing Australians more to see a GP under Mr Albanese. There are 41 million fewer bulk billed services under Mr Albanese. It is a fact that 270 GP clinics have closed across Australia.
In relation to Western Australia, these are the facts: bulk billing in the seat of Hasluck under Mr Albanese has collapsed by 19.3% compared to what it was under the Coalition government. The bulk billing rate in Hasluck is now 70.8%, in Pearce 69.6%, and in Swan 68.3%.
These are the facts that Mr Albanese refuses to tell Western Australians about. But of course, when it comes to those subsidised mental health sessions, again, what Mr Albanese doesn’t talk about is the fact that his government slashed the number of subsidised mental health sessions from 20 down to 10.
So, Mr Albanese, you can come to Western Australia, but I can tell you now you will not pull the wool over the eyes of Western Australians. Your record on Medicare is one of misery for Australians under your government and your cost-of-living crisis. Western Australians are now having to make a choice, do I see my GP or don’t I, because I can’t afford to. That is the record of Mr Albanese when it comes to Medicare.
When it comes to the Coalition, again, despite everything Mr Albanese tried to dupe us with this morning, this is what Peter Dutton and a Coalition government will do: we will guarantee Medicare and we will invest a further $9 billion into it, in particular, to restore bulk billing rates back to where they were under the former Coalition government.
In relation to that disgraceful cutting in half of the mental health subsidies by Mr Albanese, we will increase them from 10 to 20 subsidised sessions, and we will make that permanent. So, we will invest $9 billion in Medicare, that is guaranteed. We will restore bulk billing back to where it should be. We will also lower the PBS co-payment to $25.
So whatever Mr Albanese says, judge him by his actions and not his words, because his actions on bulk billing show that more Western Australians than ever are having to either not go to their doctor or go to their doctor and pay more.
I also heard Mr Albanese on the radio this morning, ironically, trying to convince Western Australians that his government was a friend of small business. That is either the joke of the campaign or…
Let me tell you about Mr Albanese’s record when it comes to small business. Under Mr Albanese, 29,000 businesses in Australia have gone broke. In other words, they have had to close, and a business that has to close employs no one. That is the reality under Mr Albanese.
But more than that, again, judge Mr Albanese by his actions and not his words, because what we saw last week in the budget reply was that Mr Albanese completely forgot about small business when it comes to the instant asset write-off.
On the 1st of July, under Mr Albanese, the instant asset write-off reverts back to $1,000. How is that going to help small businesses across Australia, and here in Western Australia, invest back into their business, buy the equipment they need, and grow their business?
So, Mr Albanese, you’re no friend of small business in this country. And again, we will judge you by your actions and not your words. Under a Peter Dutton government, we will increase the instant asset write-off to $30,000 and we will make it permanent, because we understand that businesses across Australia, but in particular small businesses, gain certainty in their investment, and we will back them to invest in themselves, grow their businesses, and employ more Australians.
And just finally, on the cost-of-living crisis, I was out at the Ocean Keys Shopping Centre yesterday with Jan Norberger, the Liberal candidate in Pearce and we spoke to person after person after person who was exiting the shops after just doing their shop, and each one of them said that they were buying less because of the cost of living crisis under Mr Albanese, and they agreed that the most effective form of immediate relief in a state in particular like Western Australia, where we are a large state, we drive incredible distances here in WA, because we are a large state, is to lower the tax that they pay at the bowser. The 70 cents a day in 15 months’ time means nothing to them, but that immediate relief by halving the fuel excise. So, in other words, every time you put that petrol pump into your car at the bowser by 25 cents a litre, 14 bucks a week for the average family in WA. Families can fill up at least once, twice, sometimes three times a week, depending on where you’re going. That is the real cost of living relief that they need, and they will get that flowing immediately under a Peter Dutton government.
Journalist:
When he was asked about the GP shortage in aged care, the Prime Minister said it was an inherited crisis. Does the former Morrison Government share any blame for this?
Senator Cash:
Well in the first instance, what I say is Mr Albanese is full of excuses. It is his party, the Labor Party, that have been in government for the last three years. And in particular, one of the huge issues is this: because of the collapse in the bulk billing rates under his government, and again, judge him by his actions and not his words, one of the things you are now seeing is that because people are having to choose between going to a doctor or not, with 41 million fewer bulk billed services across Australia, when they eventually do present at a doctor or a hospital, they are now sicker. And that is putting direct pressure on our hospital system. So again, Mr Albanese, you’re the one who’s been in government for the last three years, take some responsibility and admit that the crisis in bulk billing is now putting pressure on our hospital system. People are turning up sicker once they get to a doctor.
Journalist:
What’s the Coalition’s plan to boost hospitals and get more GPs?
Senator Cash:
Yeah, and we’ve already announced a workforce strategy. That is something that we have been working on for some time, because we understand that one of the biggest issues with GPs at the moment in Australia is that you can’t get into one. 270 GP clinics across Australia have closed. So not only can’t you find a bulk billing appointment, it’s a lot harder, it is also harder now to actually get into a doctor. And so, Anne Ruston and Peter Dutton, they announced a workforce strategy, in particular to incentivise younger doctors to go to those rural areas. Because in those rural areas, that is where there is just so much pressure.
Journalist:
What do you think of the Prime Minister’s attempt to rule out a Coalition with the Greens?
Senator Cash:
Well, I think his answer said it all. Because we know the reality is this, Mr Albanese in the Senate negotiates with the Greens on a daily basis. Last year, on the last sitting day of the year, we slammed through that Senate 41 bills. And you know why we slammed them through? Because he offered the Australian Greens some money. They accepted it, and the price was they then agreed to 41 bills going through that Parliament. So, I think Mr Albanese, whether or not he says it was a slip of the tongue, it is irrelevant. We know exactly what the next government is going to look like. If it is an Albanese government, it will be an Albanese government being run by the Australian Greens. And from a Western Australian perspective, I mean, Mr Albanese, without a doubt, is the most anti–Western Australian, anti–mining Prime Minister our country, but indeed our great state, has ever seen. God help us, God help us, if he is governing with the Australian Greens at this election. Western Australians have a huge choice, because this is all about preserving our prosperity as a great state. And I can tell you, the Greens don’t believe in Western Australia, because they don’t believe in the mining and resources industry. And quite frankly, if you don’t believe in the mining and resources industry, I don’t know what you think our economy is going to run on.
Journalist:
Will the Coalition match Labor’s plan to expand the Midland Public Hospital?
Senator Cash:
And we have said that we do support this announcement. But we support this announcement because, as I said, we understand that in particular, the crisis in the drop in bulk billing rates across Australia, and as I said, this is what Mr Albanese did not tell the people of Western Australia this morning, the absolute crisis we have in terms of the drop in bulk billing rates in every electorate across Australia, but also here in Western Australia, at alarming rates. People, because they are now not going to the doctor, because they cannot afford to, when they do finally present, they are so much sicker. And that is what is putting pressure on our hospital system. So yes, we support the announcement.
Journalist:
With the recommitment to establishing a new EPA but saying the legislation would be different to the last model that was shelved, what confidence can the WA industry have in a new model without the detail?
Senator Cash:
None whatsoever. Mr Albanese’s record of being the most anti–mining and anti–Western Australian Prime Minister our state has ever seen clearly again shows us, judge Mr Albanese by his actions and not his words. Roger Cook himself stood up to Mr Albanese and said, do not bring these laws in, they are detrimental to our great state. If Mr Albanese is governing in conjunction with the Australian Greens, can you honestly imagine the stranglehold that the additional red and green tape will have on projects in our great state? If Mr Albanese has now committed to bringing in these laws, he should be up front with the people of Western Australia over the next five weeks and tell us exactly what is going to be in it.
Journalist:
Do you agree the current act is outdated, and industry says reforms are needed?
Senator Cash:
We agree that reform is needed, and that is why we have said we will reform the system, and in particular, when it comes to the approval processes, we will halve approval processes. We need to get projects up and running in this country, and in particular in Western Australia. But what we’re also doing, that Mr Albanese has not, is we will defund the Environmental Defenders Office, that group of left-wing activists that take these projects to court and delay them. Peter Dutton has made clear that we will defund them. Mr Albanese, on the other hand, matches them every single step of the way. So again, judge Mr Albanese on his actions, not his words.
Journalist:
Has Mr Dutton… [unintelligible: about the North West Shelf decision]
Senator Cash:
Let’s be very clear here, Mr Albanese has walked away from Western Australia in not having his Environment Minister make this decision. Roger Cook and the state Labor government spent six years working through the process. They have dotted their I’s and crossed their T’s, and they have given the green light to the extension of the North West Shelf project, which employs hundreds of Western Australians, but more than that, provides us with our reliable source of gas. Tanya Plibersek received this decision in December of last year, she should have, under the legislation, made a decision within 30 days, and that is what we have committed to. We will ensure that this decision is made within the first 30 days of a Dutton government and shame on Mr Albanese for not actually telling the people of Western Australia why. Why his government has conveniently not just extended the time frame, extended it again until after the next election, because he doesn’t want to lose those votes, those inner-city green and teal votes in Victoria and in New South Wales. Shame on you, Mr Albanese.
Journalist:
But how can you [unintelligible] the risks of this project?
Senator Cash:
All we have said is there is no logical reason as to why this project cannot go ahead, because the state Labor government has made its decision after six years. This is also the extension of an existing process that’s already in play. The project has been up and running for decades.
Journalist:
But that statement means that you have indicated…
Senator Cash:
No not at all, what we’ve said, no absolutely not…
Journalist:
Because you said that the state government approval means that…
Senator Cash:
That is a statement of fact and nothing more. All we have said…
Journalist:
You said therefore no more information is needed.
Senator Cash:
What we have said is, within 30 days, we will make a decision on this project. Unlike Mr Albanese, who should have made a decision, extended it out, extended it out again, and is now not making a decision until after the election. This is the North West Shelf, it provides us with jobs for Western Australians and a reliable source of gas.
Journalist:
Labor has today launched a defence of the Same Job, Same Pay laws in Cairns saying they would be under significant risk if the Coalition wins. Do labour hire workers stand to miss out on the same pay as their permanent counterparts if you are successful?
Senator Cash:
Let us be very clear that this is just another one of Labor’s scare campaigns. They will say anything in order to dupe the people of Australia. We have made it very clear that we will announce all of our policies throughout the next five weeks of the election campaign. But let me tell you what we have announced. The first is to reverse Mr Albanese’s changes to the definition of casual. The definition of casual is now three pages long, the cost, complexity and the confusion that that is placing on businesses, and in particular, small businesses, cannot be underestimated. Small businesses around Australia now tell me they do not employ casuals because they no longer know if they can, and they don’t understand the definition. And you know what that means? It means that mum and dad in small businesses are either now cutting down on the services they provide, or alternatively, like so many in the hospitality industry, they are taking on the additional shifts themselves. That is something that will make a material difference in the lives of, in particular, small businesses. But we have also said that a clear focus of a Peter Dutton government is to clean up the construction sector. Organised crime has infiltrated the CFMEU, and they now run the construction sector in Australia. That is unacceptable. As I look around, as I look around Western Australia, Western Australians, and indeed all Australians, are paying 30% more for their publicly funded infrastructure, their roads, their schools, their hospitals. Why? Because organised crime has infiltrated the CFMEU. We have said we will re-stand up the tough cop on the beat to ensure that there is oversight of the construction industry, and we will deregister the CFMEU.
Journalist:
When will workers and businesses have clarity, though, about your industrial relations plan?
Senator Cash:
I’ve just outlined two very clear policies that we are progressing with. And as I’ve said, this is nothing more or nothing less than another Labor scare campaign. And we’ve always said we’ll announce our policies, as all opposition and governments do, in the course of the election campaign. But do not believe Labor’s lies.
Journalist:
Do you guarantee that workers won’t get a pay cut or fall under the Coalition?
Senator Cash:
Let’s be very clear, it is under former Coalition government, the real wages moved forward. If you look at the life of the former Coalition government and the life of this Albanese government, they have gone backwards under this government. So again, judge them by their actions and what has actually happened, as opposed to the scare campaigns that they are now running to dupe the people of Australia.
Journalist:
Mr Albanese this morning said that Mr Dutton would be a Prime Minister for Sydney, has there been any…
Senator Cash:
I think Mr Albanese has been living inside the Canberra bubble for way too long. In the first instance, Peter is from Queensland, another great mining and resources state. Absolutely not. Peter has made it clear the choice at the next election is about someone who will stand up for Australia and Australians, someone who understands the pain you’re going through and has a clear plan to get our country back on track, versus a Prime Minister who promised the Australian people, and again, Mr Albanese cannot get away from this. He promised the Australian people the world prior to the last election, and he has failed them miserably. Go to any shopping centre across Australia and talk to people about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis that they are feeling and experiencing and living on a daily basis because of Mr Albanese and his decisions. The thing is, when a Prime Minister doesn’t have a record to stand on, as is the case for Mr Albanese, they resort to sledging and scare campaigns, and unfortunately for the Australian people, that’s what they’re going to see.
Journalist:
Would the Coalition’s gas reservation policies supersede the WA state government’s, and would it result in WA gas…
Senator Cash:
This is an East Coast policy. It is an East Coast reservation policy. We’ve made that very clear. We already know in Western Australia that we’ve been shielded from the energy crisis in some ways, that the eastern states are going through because we already have a domestic gas reservation policy. That is our policy. It remains our policy, and it is not being changed.
Thank you all very much.
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