DOYLE: Let's talk to our Prime Minister this morning. Good morning to you. Thank for doing this. Are you nervous?
PM: Always anxious on a first day. You know that, Mel. I have been from the beginning.
DOYLE: It'll all be good. Alright, let's go to our first viewer. We've got Liz from South Australia. Liz, good morning to you. Now, what's your question for the PM?
CALLER: Good morning, Mel. Good morning, Mr Prime Minister.
PM: Good morning, Liz.
CALLER: In your budget last year you gave the pensioners a terrific increase, which was long overdue, but there was a group of people that were left out of it, and these are the people that are on allowances. Now, I'm talking about people like myself who are in their 60s who are too young for the age pension, can't get work because of their age and yet get put on this allowance and that's got to last them through to the old age pension. Any reason as to why the allowees weren't included in that increase?
PM: First of all, on the increase of the age pension, you're right, it was a big one, about $34 a week for the single age pension, I think $14 or $15 for couples. On the allowances you talk about, rather than just give a glib answer and say why someone in your category didn't fit in, can I basically take that one on notice and come back in our next segment?
I'd much rather get the details right and give you a straight answer as to where you fit, what you're entitled to and whether any other changes are planned for people in your situation.
DOYLE: Liz, will that be OK?
CALLER: Yes, that'd be fine, but it's not just me I'm talking about. There's got to be thousands of others out there who are like myself in this position and we are expected to stay on this until we reach the age pension. The only increases that we are going to get is the CPI, which is, really, is not that much.
PM: Yeah, I understand that. People who are on these fixed incomes and fixed allowances, it's tough. I fully accept that, but I just don't want to give you the wrong information. And you're absolutely right, you're not Robinson Crusoe. There's a whole bunch of people in your circumstances.
So I take this one on notice and I will give you a completely comprehensive answer on what allowances apply to people in your circumstances and whether any changes are coming down the track, but I'd much rather do it that way than give you some glib off-the-top, if that's OK.
DOYLE: Alright, Liz, we'll make sure that he does his homework. We'll give him a week and the Prime Minister will have those answers for you this time next week and make sure that we cover that for you, so thank you for that question, Liz.
Our next one for the Prime Minister is Nathan, Nathan Olaroberts from Sydney. Nathan, what's your question for our Prime Minister?
CALLER: Good morning, Prime Minister.
PM: G'day Nathan.
CALLER: My question for you, good morning, my question for you is why is it taking your Government so long to fix the state of our hospitals and what do you plan to do about it? Because, after all, it was one of your major election promises and it seems like nothing has been done to fix it.
PM: Let me answer that one straight down the barrel, Nathan, because I've been working on this for a long, long time.
First, of all, since we were elected two years, ago, this is what we've done so far. We have increased the Australian Government's contribution to hospitals and health across the country to the states and to the territories who run them by 50 per cent - five zero. That was after a lot of money was pulled out of the system before then by the previous Australian Government. That's the first thing we've done.
The second thing we've done is increase, significantly, the number of GP training places and the number of nurse training places. From memory, about 1,000 extra nurse training places as well.
Here's the third thing we've done - this is so far - a $2 billion investment into cancer treatment and cancer research right across the country, the biggest investment in cancer-related services the country has seen.
Now, go to the future. What we've done in these last two years is not just sit on our hands and try and buy some time to plan for the future - as I said, a 50 per cent increase, some $60 billion flowing out to the hospitals now from the Australian Government - but we've also in the last two years been planning for the long-term future, driven by the aging of our population.
We commissioned a report, an independent report, on what we need to do right out for the next 20 years. We got that in the middle of last year. In the last six months the Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, and I have been right around the country talking to, altogether, 101 hospitals of the 750 public hospitals that are in Australia. I've done 21 of them myself.
And thirdly, early this we'll be convening a meeting of the states and territories who actually run our hospitals to agree on a long-term reform plan for the future. That's what we've been doing for the last two years, and we'll be landing our reform plan for the next 20 years very soon.
DOYLE: I think, Nathan, am I right, though, your question, and it reflects a lot of our viewers that have emailed in, is that's all wonderful, but one of the election promises was if the states hadn't come up to scratch by June 2009 you were going to take over, the Federal Government would take over our hospitals right around the country. Nathan, am I right, that's sort of what you were asking?
CALLER: That's absolutely right.
PM: Sure Nathan, I don't walk away from this whatsoever, and I what I also said in the last election campaign is the buck stops with me. Don't walk away from that one bit.
The report we got in the middle of 2009 we've decided to road test with all those who actually do the work out there in the system, and that has taken the last six months. And the reason we're being very careful about it is this affects the lives of hundreds of thousands and millions of Australians each year. You don't want to get it wrong.
But, let me tell you, we'll be landing our response to this very soon. And secondly, we'll put this to the states and territories. If they agree to our long-term reform plan cooperatively, fine. If they don't, then I do not walk away one bit from our undertaking that we would then move to get a separate mandate from the people to take over the system.
That is our position. We've been very careful in finalising the detail of the plan, but my point to you, Nathan, is we haven't been sitting on our hands for two years. There's $60 billion flowing from us right now, a 50 per cent increase on what the hospitals got in the previous five years.
DOYLE: OK, Nathan, that's OK, that answer?
CALLER: Yes, that's fine, thank you very much.
DOYLE: Wonderful, thank you, Nathan, for your time
Our next viewer question for the Prime Minister, Jessica in Melbourne. Jessica, good morning. What's your question for our PM?
CALLER: Good morning, Mel. Good morning Prime Minister.
PM: Hi, Jess.
CALLER: I'm a mother of two young girls and I'd like to know what incentives there are for mothers to go back to work when all the money they're making on a weekly basis is simply being spent on childcare?
PM: Two things - one thing we've done and another thing that comes in next year, and I can't address your individual circumstances because I don't precisely know them.
The first thing is prior to the last election we said we'd increase the childcare tax rebate from 30 per cent to 50 per cent. We have done that, and that has been in now for the last year or so. That's the first thing, because childcare costs have been going up, and we are not prepared simply to sit back there and allow working families to cop it in the neck, so that was a big undertaking, and we've done that.
The second thing is this - starting from next year, and this affects young mums or young parents out there in the workplace who've just had a littlie, for the first time in Australia's history, in 2011 we will bring in paid parental leave. This is 18 weeks a year, it's paid at the minimum wage level. It is not a huge amount of money but it is a big step in the right direction, the first time in the country's history.
Apart from that, on other detailed, shall I say, things that the Government's doing which might help in your individual circumstances, I'll have my office come back to you, because I'd rather nail down your individual circumstances quite apart from the two things that I've just mentioned.
DOYLE: Jessica, is that OK?
CALLER: For now, yes, that's fine.
DOYLE: OK, alright, we'll hold the Prime Minister to doing that homework, so two issues, so you'll get back to us next week for Liz's question, which was about the widow's allowance, and then Jessica's question about, sort of, help and assistance for families.
PM: I just like to be as specific as possible -
DOYLE: No no no, that's alright -
PM: I just don't want to fly over the top of these things and, sort of, leave people languishing who have very specific circumstances. I'd rather be very quick on that, so I'll come back with a quick summary on both of those.
DOYLE: That'd be great, and as we said earlier, I mean, you haven't been briefed on them, so obviously you don't know, you can't be across every single detail ever.
Before I let you go, really quickly, the other big question of the morning - ties for the boys. What do you think? Yes or no?
PM: Uh - [laughter]
DOYLE: We've stopped him! [laughter] Kochie and Beretts, we're voting this morning whether they keep the ties.
PM: Well, if it's Kochie's ties, I think they're generally revolting. Beretts - I'm always a big Beretts' tie backer. As for mine, you know something? I know I have no taste, so every morning I look and see what Therese has put out for me and that's what I wear, so that's the smart way to do it.
DOYLE: You're a wise man. That's obviously why you're still happily married.
PM: And new ties get bought for me by my daughter, Jessica.
DOYLE: Very good, always listen to the girls in your life.
PM: Yep.
DOYLE: Thank you for that. We really appreciate it. We'll see you next week and -
PM: I'll be back.
DOYLE: - and Jessica and Liz with some answers.
PM: I'll improve my score next week.
DOYLE: Pretty good. Have a good week.