NICK MCCALLUM:
From Canberra now, the Prime Minister Tony Abbott joins us. Happy New Year, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you Nick, and Happy New Year to you and your listeners.
NICK MCCALLUM:
The year has started a little bit like it ended, controversy over your changes to the Medicare rebate for short consultations; allegations from the AMA of unintended consequences particularly when it comes to overcrowding in emergency departments as a result of it.
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, Nick, these are difficult decisions, they really are difficult decisions but we have to make them if Medicare is going to be sustainable for the long term future. A decade ago Medicare was costing us $8 billion, today it costs us $20 billion, in a decade’s time it will cost us $34 billion unless we take some tough action these costs are going to spiral out of control. Now, this is a Government which is serious about economic reform, we are serious about Budget responsibility. It seems that the Labor Party and the Senate are just not prepared to accept any tough decisions and that puts our nation in a very difficult position, it puts Medicare in a very difficult position.
NICK MCCALLUM:
But do you concede though, as the doctors say, that this will mean for so many people they will be paying an extra $20 themselves, the patients, for consultations?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Nick, just a few months ago the AMA were saying that they didn’t want to see 6 minute medicine, they didn’t want to support bulk billing clinics. They wanted to see doctors spending more time with their patients and that is exactly what these changes are designed to produce. Exactly how much patients are charged is always a question for the doctors but these government changes are designed to try to ensure that doctors spend a reasonable amount of time with their patients.
NICK MCCALLUM:
The law of unintended consequences though, it will also force more people to go to emergency departments and clog up emergency departments. Had you thought of that and how are you going to prevent that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, you know I was a health minister for four years and I am very familiar with these arguments. It is often alleged that issues with general practice mean that people go to emergency departments instead. Anyone who has been to an emergency department knows that there is a system of triaging and if you don’t have a serious complaint you wait – sometimes quite a long time.
NICK MCCALLUM:
But that really doesn’t help the emergency department though coping with it when they have got so much other work.
PRIME MINISTER:
But what the emergency departments do is that they see people in accordance with the seriousness of their condition and if someone goes in to the emergency department with what is essentially a GP problem, well, they will wait quite a long time. That has always been the case. One thing that was done by the Howard Government, in my time as health minister, was we tried to co-locate after-hours GP clinics with emergency departments so that patients going to hospital with GP type complaints could be seen by GPs.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Your problems last year are going to revisit, well appears as though they are going to revisit you this year. Already three of the senators – the independent senators; Ricky Muir, Nick Xenophon and Jacqui Lambie – are indicating they will probably try to block this move in the Senate.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, let’s wait and see but again, Nick, I make the point, this is a government which is serious about economic reform and price signals in our health system is an economic reform. We are serious about economic reform, we are serious about Budget responsibility – is the Senate? That is the question; are they serious about economic reform and Budget responsibility and if they don’t like what this Government is doing tell us what their alternative is. What we can’t do is go on borrowing a billion dollars every single month just to pay the interest on Labor’s debt and deficit. We can’t do this. Now, the Government has come up with our proposals to deal with Labor’s debt and deficit disaster. The Labor Party is consistently sabotaging our attempts to solve the problem that they have created. The crossbench, it seems, is prepared to go along with the Labor Party at times. I say to all of the critics; if you don’t like what we are doing come up with your alternative because we simply cannot go on as a government and as a country living beyond our means.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Ok, well we will now move on to Iraq the implication from articles today is that you have not been happy or you have indicated a displeasure to the Iraqi Government at the way Australian troops are being used in Iraq at the moment. You want more work for them and higher profile work for them.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Nick, our troops are there to help disrupt and degrade the ISIL or as I think it is preferably called Daesh death cult. We are there to help counter this threat, not just to the people of Iraq but to the people of Australia because as we have seen in Australia before Christmas and in Paris recently the Daesh death cult extremism, fundamentalism more generally is a threat not just in the Middle East but right around the world. These people have declared war on everyone. So, that is what we are there to do. We are there to effectively defend Australia and obviously I want our troops to be as vigorous as possible. We can’t substitute for the actions of the Iraqis themselves. We can’t be keener to defend Iraq then its own people but nevertheless we are there to do everything we reasonably can in conjunction with the Iraqis to defeat this death cult.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Are Australian troops being under-utilised in Iraq at the moment?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, at the moment Nick they are working on what is called an ‘advise and assist’ mission. So, we are working with the Iraqi counter terrorism service. We are helping to coordinate airstrikes, we are helping to train, we are not engaging in combat operations of our own. Let’s see how this mission evolves over time but what we are not going to do is participate in independent combat operations. This has been the consistent position of the Australian Government. We will help the Iraqis to defend their own country, we will help to disrupt and degrade the Daesh death cult but we cannot defend Iraq if its own government and its own citizens are not prepared to do likewise.
NICK MCCALLUM:
So, no need for an increase despite Iraq’s requests? No need for an increase in the number of Australian troops at the moment?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, at the moment our focus is on making sure our existing commitment is as effective as possible. We have got about 200 Special Forces working with the Iraqis inside Iraq, we have got a very potent air task group which is assisting and in some cases leading airstrikes against the death cult inside Iraq. Our refueller, our AWAC are assisting with air strikes throughout the region. So, we are making a very substantial contribution as things stand. We are prepared to work with the Iraqis, we are prepared to work with our coalition partners on what is a vital Australian national interest to defeat the death cult and to end the inspiration that it’s providing to terrorism right around the world including here in Australia.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Do you agree with the so-called Freedom Commissioner Tim Wilson and others that the 18C provision within the Racial Discrimination Act would have prevented Charlie Hebdo style cartoons from being published in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
Nick, I see there is a difference of opinion amongst various members of the human rights commission. I believe in free speech – I absolutely believe in free speech. I think people should use their right to free speech judiciously. I don’t think people should engage in casual insults but nevertheless I accept that in the course of having a robust democracy a lot of people will be offended. A lot of people will be insulted and you know, the really encouraging thing if we can draw any encouragement out of the recent tragedies in Sydney and in Paris is that more and more Muslim people seem to be saying look, there is a value in diversity. We do have to adopt the position of live and let live. I saw Keysar Trad, someone with whom I have locked horns in the past on the front page of The Australian this morning holding up a copy of Charlie Hebdo that features a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad. Now, I rather like that cartoon. I’m not sure that I would have liked everything that Charlie Hebdo produced but this is a cartoon of the prophet with a tear streaming down his face saying all is forgiven. That spirit of forgiveness is what we need more and more in this rancorous modern world.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Before the election, Prime Minister, when you were Opposition Leader you promised to change the law – to remove amongst other things the “offend and insult”. Now, I thought that was a very good move, you backed down on that. Are you going to revisit it now giving the emphasis on free speech that has come out of this tragedy in Paris?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, my position is clear Nick, I would prefer that 18c were not in its current terms but we made an attempt to amend it, it was obvious that that attempt to amend it was generating a lot of division in the community, the Government made the decision – effectively I made the decision – that we were not going to proceed with it at this time and that remains the Government’s position.
NICK MCCALLUM:
So, even after all these words about free speech you are not going to revisit it?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we do have free speech in this country. I believe the Andrew Bolt prosecution was an aberration. We do have free speech in this country. We have very robust free speech in this country. I don’t believe we are likely to see an Andrew Bolt type prosecution again. If we do, let’s rethink things but I believe that we do have very robust free speech in this country.
NICK MCCALLUM:
A couple of quick things Prime Minister, there is, I don’t know if you have had a chance to see this. It is a video purporting to be from ISIS or from Daesh showing a young boy executing Russian spies. Have you either seen it or read the story and your reaction?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, I haven’t seen it even though I am technically on holidays at the moment, Nick, I have been trying to stay up with things but look I am not familiar with this one. What we have seen from the Daesh death cult is a very sophisticated propaganda effort using the most modern technology. I have to say that all of the images that it posts are revolting and gruesome beyond belief. What we are seeing descend on Eastern Syria and Northern Iraq is effectively a new dark age. This is why it is so important that the whole world including Australia do commit to disrupting, degrading and if possible destroying the Daesh death cult.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Also, in Victoria at the moment there has been quite a furore about an accused terrorist sympathiser, a man by the name of Khodr Moustafa Taha being allowed out on bail despite threatening police and despite posting sympathies with Al Qaeda and ISIS or Daesh. What is your reaction to that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, I can understand why people are aghast at this Nick. This is someone who appears to have a history of violence, a commitment to extremism and he has made explicit threats against the police. It does seem a very, very questionable bit of judicial judgement – injudicious judgment by the judiciary. That’s how it seems to me. Now, I accept the separation of powers doctrine but you really want to see a bit of common sense on the bench.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Ok, Prime Minister, we are coming up to the news, we have got 30 seconds but you are the captain today of the Prime Minister’s XI are you going to teach them a little bit about your sledging?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I think I am more the inspiration than the Captain. I had a word to some of the players last night. I think they are quite capable of sledging on their own.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Prime Minister, really appreciate your time, thank you very much. Enjoy the cricket this afternoon.
PRIME MINISTER:
Ok Nick, thank you.
[ends]