ALI FRANCE, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR DICKSON: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Murrumba Downs Urgent Care Clinic. It's so very great to have the A team behind me, that is the Prime Minister, the Treasurer Jim Chalmers, and our Health Minister, Mark Butler. Thank you to all the staff here, the doctors and nurses who have given us a tour of this awesome facility here today. This clinic is really important to our local community. It opened in 2023, and I've spoken to so many people about their experience here since then, and they absolutely love it. They love it because there's no out-of-pocket costs. It's open seven days a week, and you don't need an appointment. You can just simply walk in like some of the families that we met here today. I'm really proud to be a part of a Labor team that is really prioritising Medicare. Medicare is Labor's heart, but it's also a really significant part of my journey and also my journey into politics. It's really actually quite difficult to find a doctor in this electorate that bulk bills. That's why I am so pleased that leading into this election, that we are going to deliver an extra 50 Urgent Care Clinics right across the country, but also put a historic amount into Medicare, $8.5 billion, which will mean that most people will be able to go to the doctor with no out of pocket costs. That's so important to me. But it's also so important to everybody in this local community. I'm now going to hand over to the Prime Minister. Thank you.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: As I've gone around the country, what I have seen is how valued Urgent Care Clinics are, providing that midpoint between not being in an emergency department of a local hospital, watching people exceed you in the queue because they're life threatening, and getting access to your local GP. More than a million Australians have benefited from these 87 Urgent Care Clinics that we have delivered. We promised 50. We've over delivered and we're going to deliver at least another 50 that we've committed to and that we've funded in our Budget. That's on top of the $8.5 billion we're funding to triple the bulk billing incentive to bring those bulk billing rates up to 90 per cent. Health care is so important, and what this election is about is strengthening the economy, strengthening Medicare, versus Peter Dutton's plan for cuts to everything except your taxes. That is what is at stake in this election. And Ali knows firsthand the difference that Medicare has made to her life and the life of her family, the difference that the NDIS has made as well. And that's why Ali is an amazing candidate here in Dickson. This is Queensland's most marginal seat and a margin with a one in front of it. We intend to run a very serious campaign. If Ali gets the same swing that she got in 2022, Ali France will join the Labor Caucus as a member of the Federal Labor Government, and that is what we intend to do, because Ali France would be an extraordinary addition to our team. But at this election, this little card here, your Medicare card, is what is at stake. We know one of the big distinctions in Australian politics is Labor, which created Medicare and will strengthen Medicare. Peter Dutton, who tried to abolish bulk billing by introducing a GP tax, attacked the health and hospital system with those $50 billion of cuts in the 2014 budget, tried to introduce a payment every time people visited a GP and tried to jack up the price of medicines by $5, as opposed to what we've done, which is to bring it back to 2004 levels of $25. There's a lot at stake at this election. We'll be putting forward our positive plans for health care. And one of the people leading that is our Health Minister, Mark Butler. And I'll turn to him now.
 
MARK BUTLER, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGED CARE: Thank you, Prime Minister. Thank you, Ali, and thank you to the doctors and nurses and staff here at Murrumba Downs for hosting us on a Saturday morning. This is one of 87 Urgent Care Clinics that so far have seen more than 1.3 million patients delivering high quality urgent care in their community when and where they need it, meaning that people don't have to spend hours in a crowded emergency department. Really importantly, about a third of the patients going through clinics like this one are aged under 15. Like the patients we've just seen, kids that fall off the skateboard, that wake up in the morning with a really worrying respiratory illness, that obviously is a deep concern to parents and for whom really the only alternative to a clinic like this, particularly on the weekends and after hours, is going to the hospital emergency department and waiting literally hours. Every single one of those patients has been fully bulk billed. That for Labor is such a critical design feature because for us, bulk billing, of course, is the beating heart of Medicare. All of our investments in health, more hospital funding, Urgent Care Clinics, the tripling of the bulk billing incentive and cheaper medicines are on the line at this election. There's no question about that. You've got a Prime Minister who's committed to lower taxes and a stronger Medicare against an Opposition Leader who's going to deliver higher taxes and American healthcare, where every single person pays to see the doctor. Now, on Thursday night, Peter Dutton tried a new version of the promise he made to Australians ten years ago that there would be no cuts to health. It might be some fancier words, but it's just as hollow, just as hollow as when he said in 2013 there will be no cuts to health and then, only a few months later, tried to abolish bulk billing altogether, jack up the price of medicines, and ripped $50 billion out of our hospital system. A few weeks ago, he said past performance is the best indicator for his future action. Well, that's his past performance on health and that's why doctors voted him the worst health minister in the history of Medicare. People should be in no doubt he will cut Medicare no matter what he said on Thursday night, just like he did ten years ago, partly because he favours American healthcare, where everyone pays to see a GP, everyone pays as they walk in the front door of an emergency department. And in part, of course, because he has to find a way to fund $600 billion of nuclear power stations. I hand over to the Treasurer.
 
DOCTOR AJIT BHALLA, DEPUTY STATE CLINICAL DIRECTOR, FORHEALTH: The Urgent Care Clinic has been operating in Queensland for quite a number of years now, and it's really had a positive impact on local communities and communities across the state. The funding that has been provided by the Labor Government has helped ensure that no Australian goes unseen without a GP consult. They are seen in the after hours period, on weekends and when they can't get a doctor's appointment. It is really helped buffer the space that was there previously between an emergency service and the general practitioner. The voices that come in, our patients advocate for extended hours all the time, and we're stretched with workforces. We're stretched with our capacity to do much more in the GP setting. And the urgent care space has really filled that void. We are grateful to any further Urgent Care Clinics opening, especially in the rural areas. And we've had large volumes of patients in these communities come in and see us have a one stop shop, no out-of-pocket cost, and extended our consults with the physicians in the urgent care space. And I welcome any further additions to the urgent care space.

(INAUDIBLE DISRUPTION)
 
JIM CHALMERS, TREASURER: This election will be a referendum on Medicare, and it will be a stark choice on tax as well. Our Budget and our Government is all about helping people with the cost of living, cutting taxes, strengthening Medicare, and building Australia's future. Now, Urgent Care Clinics and Medicare are not safe in Peter Dutton's hands, and nor are the tax cuts that we legislated during the week. Peter Dutton will legislate to increase income taxes on every single Australian taxpayer. That was the commitment they made during the week. Everything that Peter Dutton says about the cost of living is meaningless, when you remember he wants to jack up taxes on every taxpayer in this country, all 14 million of them. Now, here in Dickson, 82,000 people will pay higher income taxes if Peter Dutton wins the election. Peter Dutton will come after Medicare like he did last time. He will jack up taxes, and he will provide no ongoing relief for the cost of living. Every single time during this election campaign that Peter Dutton talks about the cost of living, remember every one of the 14 million Australians in this country who pay income tax will pay more income tax because of the commitment that he has made during the course of the week. This election boils down to a pretty simple choice. This Prime Minister and his Labor Government strengthening Medicare, cutting taxes, easing the cost of living and building Australia's future. Or Peter Dutton, his higher income taxes, his secret cuts to pay for his nuclear reactors. And he will take Australia backwards and make Australians worse off.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what message are you hoping to send Peter Dutton, by starting your tour of Australia in his electorate?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's the most marginal seat in Queensland. And we have in Ali a candidate who is running for the third time. Ali France is someone who has courage, has commitment, has conviction and is passionate about representing this community. I think the community will see that. I know of a few people over the years. Susan Templeman: one, two, third time got elected. David Bradbury in Lindsay: one, two, third time got elected. She is a fantastic candidate. She's a ripper. And when I spoke with Ali about running again, I said to her we would put our full resources and there's nothing like that than being here on day one.
 
JOURNALIST: The Greens are in South Brisbane today, rallying to keep Peter Dutton out and keep you in power. How can voters believe you when you say there will be no deal with the Greens if there is a minority government?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Have a look at my history in Grayndler where I've kept the Greens out, running against them time after time, and I've been very clear. What I'm seeking is a majority government, including the electorate of Dickson.
 
JOURNALIST: You’ve just delivered a Budget that has no plan to balance the books. Spending increased by more than $35 billion, which is $2 billion worth of offsets. And economists say that the eventual surplus in 2036 is based on assumptions that are heroic at best. So isn't it your Government that is putting essential services like Medicare at risk? Because it's setting down, it's setting a pathway for a future government to need to make steeper cuts in order to safeguard our credit rating.
 
PRIME MINISTER: Not at all. And I'll ask Jim to follow up on this one. But we came to office with a $78 billion deficit, and we turned that into a $22 billion surplus. Then we turned a deficit projected of more than $50 billion into a $15 billion surplus. And we then turned around what was a much larger deficit and almost halved it in what we did. In the Coalition's last Budget they produced, it's really easy to remember this one, zero in savings. Nothing. Not a dollar. And what we did has produced almost $100 billion, around $95 billion of savings. We have improved the budget bottom line by $207 billion. We have been a Government that have been economically responsible, making sure as well that the cost of living relief that we have delivered is designed as well to get inflation down. They spin away, no savings. $20 billion of JobKeeper to companies that were actually increasing their profits, with no mechanism to wind any of it back. That was their record.
 
TREASURER: Well, responsible economic management really is one of the defining features of this Albanese Labor Government in our first three Budgets and certainly in our fourth as well. To find billions of savings in a Budget on the eve of an election is unusual. But we did that. We've kept real spending growth at 1.7 per cent, which is less than half what it was under our predecessors. We've engineered the biggest ever nominal turnaround in a single term in the Budget ever. We've delivered two surpluses for the first time in almost two decades. We've shrunk the deficit this year. We've got the budget in much better nick. Now, we've done that not just as an end in itself, as important as it is that we've got the Liberal debt down $177 billion this year and saving $60 billion in interest, that's important in its own right. But we're doing that so we can make room for investments like these. Our responsible economic management and getting the Budget in better nick is so that we can afford to invest in Urgent Care Clinics and strengthening Medicare and women's health, investing in every stage of education. That's why we are managing the Budget in a much more responsible way than our predecessors to clean up the mess that we inherited, but also to invest in Medicare. And once again, this election is a referendum on Medicare. And we have shown a willingness and enthusiasm and an ability to invest in strengthening Medicare. We know that Peter Dutton will cut funding for Medicare because that's what he did last time. And he has said that the best predictor of future performance is his past performance.
 
PRIME MINISTER: I'll tell you what, we're going to do in an orderly way. How about that?
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, that young man who interrupted the press conference, he raises one of the other issues of this campaign, which is housing. It is accurate to say, is it not, that Labor has not actually constructed a single new home?
 
PRIME MINISTER: It's completely not accurate. There have been on our watch around about 400,000 additional homes built during this term. We have under construction tens of thousands of homes under the social housing policy that we've put forward. The previous government didn't have, and I’ll ask Jim, might want to comment on this as well. The previous government didn't even bother to have a housing minister, let alone build any public housing. Common sense tells you that if legislation, some of which was held up by the Greens and the Coalition for a long period of time, if legislation is only passed, some of our housing legislation was passed in December. Newsflash, if legislation is passed in December 2024, then in March 2025, there isn't magically a house built, planning done, approvals done. We're getting on with the business of housing policy, whether it be public housing through the Housing Australia Future Fund, whether it be the Build to Rent scheme for private rentals, whether it be, the Housing Infrastructure Fund, where we've had two rounds of that rolled out or the Help to Buy scheme, which we improved in Tuesday night's Budget, which will help 40,000 Australians in home ownership.
 
TREASURER: Well, one of the most important features of the Budget on Tuesday night was the $33 billion in investment we're making in housing. And that's all about making sure there are more homes for Australians to rent and buy. As the Prime Minister rightly pointed out, Peter Dutton is lying when he says that we haven't been building houses. We have. And we would have built more houses if they hadn't tried to obstruct our efforts in the Parliament. So investment in housing is going up. Net overseas migration is coming down to more manageable levels, and that's because of our efforts. And at every turn when we've tried to invest more in housing, Peter Dutton has said no. If he had his way, there would be fewer homes, not more homes built in our community. And that's the fact of this election.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Peter Dutton says that his gas plan will cut household energy prices by the end of the year. Will your plan do that, even including the rebates?
 
PRIME MINISTER: His plan that he talks about ignores the fact that we have had a plan that has been in place, one that he voted against. He voted against a cap on gas prices of just $12. Gas, when we came to office, the spot price was $30. Today it's around $13. $13 is lower than $30. That is the mess that we had to inherit. We have provided already six times the supply that he has said on Tuesday night he wanted to provide. This is an embarrassment, given that they actually voted against as well, strengthening the Australian Domestic Gas Security Mechanism. What that does is provide for a guarantee, should it be needed, a trigger so that domestic gas has to come to the domestic market. He voted against all of that. And indeed, when they voted against that, at the same time as they voted against our first round of energy rebates, they described that as an outrageous intervention into the gas and coal market.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Peter Dutton said yesterday that he accused you of a sludge fest, he's already said that he'll match your healthcare policies. So by using scare tactics or negative campaigning, is there a risk that you'll alienate voters who are already disillusioned with politics?
 
PRIME MINISTER: I reckon that people will have a look at Peter Dutton's speech on Thursday night, and they'll have a look at what we're doing. Building Urgent Care Clinics, strengthening Medicare, providing support for every school student to get the resources that they need, producing policy across the board, whether it be on climate, health, education, a positive plan going forward. And they'll look at Peter Dutton, who's made a whole career out of appealing to the darker side of human emotions. His whole career has been built on that. His speech, I haven't seen a budget speech or a budget reply that was characterised by that so much as I did on Thursday night.
 
JOURNALIST: You, Peter Dutton and Adam Bandt are all starting today in Queensland. Labor holds, I think it's just five of the 30 federal seats across Queensland. How critical for you is this state come polling day on the 3rd of May?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm going to give my favourite Queenslander a crack at this here. But let me just say this, that Queensland is important. I want to be the Prime Minister for the whole country. And one of the things that's characterised my leadership, whether it be as leader of the Labor Party or as Prime Minister, is going to every electorate around the country, regardless of what way people vote and who the local member is, and representing their interests. That's why we worked so hard during the recent floods and the floods before then in north Queensland. That's why I have a very constructive relationship with the Premier, David Crisafulli, and I spoke with him last night. Can I report here that we have approved two lots of funding already, Category D funding for local government that's been impacted by the floods in western Queensland. And we have also approved $2.5 million joint funding to drop in fodder for cattle that are impacted by these flooding events. I spoke with the Premier last night. This morning, I spoke with David Littleproud. His electorate of Maranoa is affected. Jenny McAllister is attending a meeting today of Queensland's emergency cabinet that they have their processes. We will make whatever resources are available including, of course, the ADF. It's possible that they might be able to assist in some of the drops that need to occur, but I'll give it to Jim to have a crack. He always likes talking about Queensland.
 
TREASURER: Well, I'll tell you the difference. When 5 million homes in South East Queensland and northern New South Wales were at risk and were in harm's way, not that long ago, this Prime Minister came to Queensland to see how he could help. Peter Dutton fled Queensland to see if he could raise money in a harbourside mansion in Sydney. And that's the difference. Peter Dutton might be from here, but he is not as committed to the people and the local economies of Queensland as this Prime Minister is. The first thing we did this year was we came and we committed more than $7 billion because we're backing the Bruce. We know how important the Bruce is as one of the main arteries of this state here in Queensland. Now when it comes to Labor, we are long on influence in the Albanese Government, but we're short on numbers. And that's why it's so important that the great people of Dickson support Ali France. Because we believe in Ali, because she believes in Medicare, and she will provide much better local representation than the incumbent who will come after Medicare again and jack up taxes on every single one of the 82,000 taxpayers here in Dickson.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, I appreciate that the Government's focus at this stage is on increasing bulk billing rates, significant investment in that space. But what is the policy argument, and I'd like to get you to answer this question.
 
PRIME MINISTER: I'm just trying to spread the love here. I’ve got the Health Minister.
 
JOURNALIST: What is the policy argument against not adding dental into Medicare from a policy perspective?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Look, it's an economic one.
 
MINISTER BUTLER: I've tried to be as honest as I can about this. The decision by Gough Whitlam when he was building Medibank, and then Bob Hawke and Neil Blewett when they were building Medicare, was essentially a decision of pragmatism. You need to remember the breadth of opposition those two Labor governments were facing in moving to a universal healthcare system. The Liberal Party opposed it tooth and nail, election after election. The doctors' group threatened strikes against Medicare and in particular, our bulk billing policy. And dental groups were adamantly opposed to including dental into Medicare. Now, I've said, of course, it makes sense to have the entire body covered by a universal healthcare system, including the mouth. It's important, obviously, for oral health, but oral health flows through the body. Our Party has as a platform commitment at some stage bringing oral health or dental care into Medicare. When we were last in government, we put in place a terrific scheme, the Childhood Dental Benefit Scheme, that offers about $1,100 of free dental care to kids from Family Tax Benefit families. Unfortunately, that's not taken up as much as it could be. A bit less than 40% of those families access that free dental care under Medicare. So yes, of course it makes sense at some stage to move down this path. But I've tried to be honest with the Australian people that our priority right now is repairing the damage that was started by Peter Dutton's time as health minister ten years ago. Let me finish, so the priority is rebuilding general practice, driving up bulk billing rates again to see your GP, which is the backbone of healthcare and building new networks like this as well.
 
JOURNALIST: Peter Dutton this morning has said that he is the underdog in this race. Are you happy to claim the status as the favourite? And are you signalling by being in Dickson and by being in Queensland that you're on the offensive this campaign. You're not sandbagging seats, you're out to win new ones.
 
PRIME MINISTER: I'm out to win new seats. I'm out to win here. I'm out to win Brisbane, Griffith and Ryan. I'm out to win Leichhardt. I'm out to win Bonner. You'll see us out and about during this campaign. I want a majority Labor government. I want, the last seven elections have produced seven different prime ministers since 2004, was the last time that a prime minister who had served out a term was re-elected, and that was John Howard. I think that one of the things that characterised my Government isn't just what we have done, isn't just what we will do going forward, it is the stability and orderly way in which we have conducted ourselves. We have been the most stable first term Government, certainly in my lifetime. If you go back to whether it's the Howard government, the Rudd government, I mean, sometimes it was the Abbott government people deposing leaders, ministers going, we have been an orderly, effective Government. We have worked through what have been turbulent global conditions. We've navigated those turbulent seas, but we've kept our eye on the horizon. Now Latika has come all the way from London to ask this.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, if I may, a question to you and also the candidate after. Prime Minister, noting that Donald Trump has actually not cut Medicaid, I'm wondering, what are your worst fears of Trumpism that you fear Mr Dutton wants to import into Australia?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well I will define Mr Dutton's policies, by him rather than by someone else. It's quite clear, though, that a range of policies put forward are things that have been borrowed. He might run out of policy announcements when he runs out of toner in the photocopier as we go forward, because a range of things that have been put forward, including when we talk about excise. Excise was something that was introduced by John Howard as the treasurer. It was something that indexation was introduced by Tony Abbott as the prime minister, with Peter Dutton sitting in the cabinet. So what we saw this week was there was a lot of talk about a grand announcement, and all we got was the same announcement that was done by the Morrison Government in 2022. Short term policy that just disappears as opposed to what we are putting in place is a tax cut and another tax cut for every Australian taxpayer, all 14 million of them. That's permanent, as opposed to the cheaper medicines that we are putting forward, that is permanent. The fixes of bulk billing and Urgent Care Clinics that are permanent into the future. The schools funding agreement that is permanent over ten years. We will deliver that. That's what we're focused on. I think one of the things that we are proud of, and I said this yesterday, I say again, this little card is green and gold not by accident because it's a part of Australian values, who we are. This card says that if you get sick, you'll be looked after regardless of your income, regardless of your status in life. In America, that isn't the case. The American health system is very different, very different and I don't want to see us go down that road.
 
JOURNALIST: Ali hi. The Prime Minister said before that you could be third time lucky. But since the last election, we've had the Prime Minister in the job. And polling shows voters are quite disappointed in the leadership that he's shown over the last three years. So do you think you might be third strike and you're out?
 
FRANCE: Not at all. I wouldn't be doing this if I thought that I was third strike and I'm out. I think we're in with a really good chance here. Everything I'm doing, I'm door knocking every day. I'm making phone calls every day. It's been, it's really positive, and I think the last seven years for me have, I draw so much strength from my local community, particularly in the last couple of years. I feel privileged to be able to do this and I think there's a real risk in Peter Dutton becoming our prime minister, but also staying as the local member. He's been here for 24 years. I think it's time for a change here in this electorate. And I feel really happy about being able to do this for the third time.
 
PRIME MINISTER: Here, and if people miss out, you'll get a crack tomorrow, I assure you.
 
JOURNALIST: PM, how concerned are you about the possibility of tariffs targeting the PBS? What's your message to the White House? Wouldn't that undercut your health message for the campaign?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we've put a very clear message to anyone who's listening, wherever they are in the world. Our PBS is not up for negotiation.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister. Day one in Dickson, you have come out swinging. It has to be said, the first day of the last campaign was a disaster for you. You still won, but it was a disaster. Are you still the same man who stood before voters three years ago?
 
PRIME MINISTER: I'm one for one in election campaigns, and there's a few people who'd like to have that number. And what I've done over the last three years. Look, experience, you learn, I mean one of the things that I've said about my mentor, Tom Uren, who I miss dearly, is that he had those two philosophies that he drummed into me. You had to learn something new every day. And I do that. I've been in politics a while, like Peter Dutton. Peter Dutton and I have both been in politics for around about the same period of time, for a long time. We're both in our third decade. I've got better each and every day, because I've learnt something every day. I don't come to this thinking that I have all of, you have to deal with things as you get thrown at you. And some of the things that we've had thrown at us, no one was saying in 2022 there'd be a land war in Europe going in 2025. No one was saying that. But you deal with it. You deal with challenges which are thrown at you. But you deal with them in an orderly, coherent way. And one of the things that I do and one of the messages of this campaign as well, this campaign isn't just about me versus Peter Dutton. I'm humble enough to know that it's also about our team, this bloke versus a fellow who was telling people in the gallery this week, Angus Taylor, that he wouldn't have a prominent role in the campaign. This bloke, the Health Minister, I can't remember who their health shadow is. Anne Ruston, you know their team, you look at them, they are not ready for government. They are just not ready for government. My team is a competent, considered Government that gets things done, that's making a positive difference to people's lives. We are turning the corner. Let's not go back. I mean, the former government that I replaced had a prime minister who was also treasurer, industry minister, resources minister and a host of health minister, a host of other jobs, and didn't even tell the bloke that he was having breakfast with every morning, Josh Frydenberg at the Lodge. They didn't even know about it. It was chaotic and dysfunctional. There weren't comments from departments in cabinet meetings. You had overheads of polling. I assure you there's no overheads of polling in my Cabinet. What there is hard work. Hard work. Making a difference for Australians. I look forward not just in my debates versus Peter Dutton. I look forward to the debates that take place between my ministers and the shadow ministers. Frankly, there are a range of people who sit on their frontbench who I doubt whether any of the press gallery here would know what their portfolios are. That is just a fact. My Government is made up of fantastic people who are committed to making a positive difference and building Australia's future. Not going back. We can't afford to go back. We need to go forward with a positive agenda. That's what my Government has. Thanks very much. See you soon.

ENDS