TRANSCRIPT – ABC AFTERNOON BRIEFING

Angie Bell MP
Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education
Shadow Minister for Youth
Federal Member for Moncrieff

TRANSCRIPT
ABC AFTERNOON BRIEFING

27 April 2023

Subjects: Migration, JobSeeker, Aged Care

 E&OE………………………………………….

GREG JENNETT:
It was time now to bring in our political panel and joining us, Labor frontbencher, Kristy McBain, Kristy is in Sydney today and Liberal MP Angie Bell, Angie is in Brisbane. Welcome both.

It’s really a question of where to begin and seems like there’s so many pre-budget discussions that haven’t quite concluded. Why don’t we go with the one that is new today and I’ll put it to you first Kristy, I don’t want to over imagine the harmony that might come from the migration review, but it does look like there’s something for everyone in this, employers, workers, even the unions seemed pretty sanguine about it. From a regional perspective are you aware of workers who were in visa limbo, who might be satisfied by some of these proposed changes?

KRISTY McBAIN MP:
Yeah, good afternoon. It’s great to be with you again. Look there have been people contacting our office now since I was elected close to three years ago, all about visa issues, and we know that the system needs an overhaul. There were over 100 classes and subclasses of visas. So many people on temporary visas that had no pathway to Australian citizenship.

The changes announced today by my colleague Minister O’Neill I think have been welcomed. It actually will make it easier for so many people to apply for those permanent visas here. It also will streamline the process. As I said, over 100 categories of visa application meant that so many people were just stuck trying to peruse the system and see which one actually applied to them.

So I think the changes will be welcomed, and they are long overdue, and as you said they have been widely acknowledged by numerous groups as going to be good for the sector.

GREG JENNETT:
And where do you start from this Angie Bell? I mean, I assume you’ve had similar feedback from workers as Kristy has, but is there anything that alarms you in this sea of harmonious response that’s come so far?

ANGIE BELL MP:
Well, thanks for having me on, Greg. What I will say to start with is that we are a proud nation of immigration, where migrants have successfully integrated into our country for many decades. This is an important lever that the government has at its disposal in terms of filling the workforce shortages, particularly can I say across the early learning sector, where there are around about 20,000 vacancies right now. The sector is looking at an additional 9,000 jobs and workforce that needs to be put in place for the government’s cheaper child care bill that’s coming up.

I know I’m getting off track a little bit, but the point is workforce, and this is what immigration, of course, is all about. This is an important lever that the government needs to pull, but there needs to be more detail. What we’ve seen today is Claire O’Neill at the Press Club, filling in for the Minister, the Immigration Minister, Where’s Wally, where is he…interrupted

GREG JENNETT:
He’s overseas I think,

ANGIE BELL MP:
…had to deliver that policy setting. We really need to be looking at multiple levers to fix the workforce shortage across the country. Certainly we’ve heard Dan Tehan also say, the Shadow Minister, that we’re willing to work with the government to find some money through the budget process in order to upgrade the IT systems. It’s an important lever the government needs to be pulling to fix the workforce shortage across the country.

GREG JENNETT:
And what about the overall size of the envelope for total immigration? Kristy, I’ll start with you. I mean, you’ve largely inherited a number, it’s 195,000 a year in net overseas migration from the previous government, but does that seem about right as you look out across an economy with drastic worker shortages remaining?

 KRISTY McBAIN MP:
I think the important part of today’s announcement was that there are so many people here on temporary skilled visas, who had no pathway to Australian citizenship. So this isn’t necessarily about having to increase that cap. It’s about making that pathway there for people that are already in this country who already have jobs in a number of our locations across a number of their skill shortages we have, giving them a pathway to citizenship for the first time, which I think was going to be greatly accepted. I know by those people, but also their employers, who have been for now some years hoping that there will be a pathway for them going forward because you don’t want to lose a worker in the current jobs market we have.

GREG JENNETT:
There are two million of them, Angie, should they be the first priority, those who are onshore at present, locking them into the places of shortage? You’ve already mentioned a couple of sectors there.

ANGIE BELL MP:
On one hand, we’ve heard Claire O’Neill talk about an increase to 650,000 over the next two years, but on the other hand, we haven’t heard any details on how that’s going to affect the budget, what it’s going to cost. We haven’t heard any details on where the extra numbers are coming from. We haven’t heard any details on where they’re going to be housed. We haven’t heard any details on impact on infrastructure. We don’t think the government’s done the work at this point. We hold our breathe to see what happens at budget to see how this is incorporated into that process. But we don’t hold out much hope for what the government is doing in this area in terms of good management.

GREG JENNETT:
All right, let’s move on to a JobSeeker. I’m sure this is something you both receive constant feedback on. Now Jim Chalmers, Kristy is indicating that cost of living relief will be in the budget and will be prioritized to the most vulnerable. Is it them? Is it the recipients of Jobseeker who should be getting that relief?

KRISTY McBAIN MP:
Well, we’ve got the budget coming up in less than two weeks now and I think the Treasurer has set out numerous times that we need to be responsible with the set of economic circumstances we’ve inherited, we need to make sure that there is cost of living relief, that we are providing opportunities and putting money into things like the aged care sector, the health care sector, skills and dealing with some of those big opportunities that we have in energy transition manufacturing, but at the same time, not splashing cash around which is going to add to the inflation pressure that we have in our economy.

GREG JENNETT:
Is that what a JobSeeker increase would be?

KRISTY McBAIN MP:
There is obviously some announcements coming up in close to two weeks, and I think that the Treasurer will highlight those responsible cost of living measures that will be in the budget at that time.

GREG JENNETT:
And what’s your reading Angie Bell of those remarks? I suppose they’re a little bit cryptic from the Treasurer, as you would expect this close to a budget, he’s not laying it out. But who are those most vulnerable and in most need of cost of living, if not people on the dole?

ANGIE BELL MP:
Certainly, it does sound like the making of another election broken promise from this government. They make motherhood statements about helping the most vulnerable in our community. When in fact it was the Coalition government who made the biggest increase to JobSeeker (sic) in history, adding an additional $50 a fortnight during COVID. You’ll recall Greg…Interrupted

 GREG JENNETT:
Yep, temporary.

ANGIE BELL MP:
…and also $32 billion to those Australians who needed more support throughout COVID, and that kept the country going quite frankly. And so again, we hear Labor saying they are for those from disadvantage, when actually it’s the Coalition government that has the track record for helping the most disadvantaged Australians.

GREG JENNETT:
That almost sounds like an endorsement of an increase replicating if I’m to read you correctly. Angie Bell, what the previous government did… interrupted.

ANGIE BELL MP:
It’s up to the government Greg, it’s up to the government, Greg to go through that process with the budget to find the money to deliver on their promise of supporting the most disadvantaged Australians.

With the cost of living, which falls squarely at their feet in terms of prices going up in terms of electricity costs going through the roof, where are the discounts, and where are the savings for families in terms of power prices, in terms of their grocery bills? I mean, inflation is through the roof, groceries are up some eight per cent, was on the ABC this morning, eight per cent for groceries at the supermarket.

Families are struggling and this government is not doing anything to help them.

 KRISTY McBAIN MP:
Well, there is it’s a real shame that the Coalition then couldn’t work with the government when we introduced energy price relief for businesses and for homeowners, not delivery recollection parliament. It’s a real shame that you weren’t there for those communities at that time.

ANGIE BELL MP:
The Albanese Government has not delivered on its election promise. The government has not delivered their $275 power bill decrease for Australian families and it was an election promise. The Prime Minister promised the country and failed.

KRISTY McBAIN MP:
By 2025, Angie, by 2025. It’s misfortunate you can misrepresent the fact.

GREG JENNETT:
We do understand Angie and Kristy pretty clearly that there is energy cost of living relief coming in the budget. We just don’t know where it’s being targeted. I think that’s fair to say.

Look you both touched already on aged care in an earlier context around labour shortages. The government’s already acknowledged it’s not going to make it at every home around the country the 24/7 commitment by the first of July. What is it now doing though Kristy as it engages consultants to move the goalposts and redefine this policy? Is that what’s going on?

KRISTY McBAIN MP:
Overwhelmingly, our aged care facilities are on track to meet the 24/7 registered nurses in aged care homes by this year, but there it’s okay to be ambitious in aged care.

You know, what I’ve seen across rural and regional Australia is a bunch of different innovative ideas about how we can deliver good aged care into our communities. Being ambitious for aged care doesn’t mean sticking with one idea, it means continually making sure that you’re looking at best practice across the country and across the world.

I’ve spent today in the Central Coast talking to business owners and cooperatives about some of their ideas for innovative aged care models. As more and more people are moving to this system. Some people who want to move into aged care, some who want to move into an independent living situation with pathways to aged care, and some who want to age in place.

So being ambitious for aged care is a good idea. And this government has implemented several recommendations of the aged care Royal Commission. We didn’t put our head in the sand like those opposite did during their time in government. You’ve got to actually deal with this and across rural and regional Australia they’re asking us to come up with innovative ideas.

GREG JENNETT:
Angie only to be fair to give you the last word on this, we’ll have to wrap up soon.

ANGIE BELL MP:
Thanks, Greg. Look, I think Australians is getting sick and tired of this government making excuses for election promises that they can’t keep. Now, in terms of the aged care Royal Commission, this was one recommendation that Labor has put one year ahead of when it was due to be implemented, and in doing so has put our most senior Australians and most vulnerable Australians at risk, where aged care facilities across the country are looking at failing and that falls squarely at this Labor government’s feet.

GREG JENNETT:
Alright, somehow I think that’s an argument that’s going to be waged and re-prosecuted when you’re all back in Parliament and that’s not too long is it, just over a week or so away from here? Kristy McBain, Angie Bell, really appreciate you both coming on today. We’ll have you back very soon.

 ANGIE BELL MP:
Thanks Greg.

[ends]