Shadow Minister for Regional Health, Shadow Minister for Regional Communications - Member for Mallee - Transcript - News24 Afternoon Agenda with Ashleigh Gillon - Thursday 15 October 2026

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‍DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL HEALTH

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TOPICS:  Allegations against Greens Senator, private health insurance rebates, Victorian IBAC findings on COVID-era grants

Gillon  

Live now is the Shadow Regional Health minister Anne Webster. Anne, thanks so much for your time. I've invited you on the program to talk about private health insurance, and I promise you we will get there, but I did just want to get your response and reaction to this breaking news this afternoon. Are you satisfied the Greens are responding adequately to these allegations, which Jordan Steele-John- as I keep saying - has rejected outright?

Webster  

Look, this is up to David Shoebridge as the new leader for the Greens to manage this fallout. He's taken on the Greens leadership, and with that, he gets the joy of working through whatever issues the Greens have on their plate. Clearly, this is his issue, and he's got to deal with it - with Jordan Steele-John. So, I don't have any comment. Of course, this is up to the Greens.

Gillon  

Okay, looking at the policy issue in your portfolio, we've just seen Question Time the Prime Minister pointing out repeatedly during that session that the proposed reforms that Labor wants to introduce would simply see the same private health rebate for all adults. So, as the Prime Minister kept saying, a 65-year-old would get the same rebate as a 64-year-old. What's wrong with that?

Webster  

Look, what is wrong with it is that, is as people progress through their age, through the decades of their life, and they get to 65, they have worked, paid taxes, paid into their private health fund all of that time, and highly likely, hopefully, not having to have relied on that private health fund. But the fact is that when you get to 65 and over, things break down, and you need surgeries and you need work done. So, people are also at the age of pension, and they are also at the age - for those who are self-funded retirees, that doesn't mean they're fabulously wealthy, it just means they've got to monitor their pennies,  earnings, wages. And so the thing is that they need to be respected, as people who have paid their taxes and earned their wages all the way through... I do note that Labor have changed their argument from the 30-year-old next door to the 65-year-old, and they think that the 64 to 65-year-old argument is going to win across. People are not stupid. The Labor Party has got to stop taking people for mugs. They're not mugs. They are very aware to what is going on, and you know the so-called $3 billion savings. We don't buy that, and there are plenty of other places that the Labor Party could make savings. For example, the battery program that is subsidised by taxpayers, and put it into health. At 65, you should be able to rely on what you have invested in, plus rely on what the government provides.

Gillon  

Yeah, the $3 billion the government says would be redirected to aged care. We all agree that that is an area that is going to need more funding, a funding injection in the coming years. Why shut down the debate completely? As the Health Minister pointed out, by taking this out of the mix for debate, there's no chance to thrash it out or move amendments. He's accusing the Coalition of just running a political stunt on this one.

Webster  

Well, you know, the fact is, Labor are embarrassed. They ought to be embarrassed. They were run over by a considered argument in the Senate, which saw this bill go down like the flop that it is, and really Labor need to go back to the drawing board and reconsider what they are doing with their budget, which they are clearly not managing well, and ensure that those who need the care that they need at 65 and above can get it, and those who've invested, who've been responsible, are able to get the care that they need and not have to pull out of their private health insurance because they're no longer earning a wage. They're relying on a pension, or they're relying on their, as I said earlier, self-funded as a self-funded retiree, with the proportionate low income that they get through that year, it can cause people ...   We already know from Australian Seniors that there will be 1000s and 1000s of people who will be pulling out of private health insurance, which means that they then fall into the public health system. That is not a solution. That just makes a disaster worse.

Gillon  

Anne Webster, I'm also keen for your reaction to some news out of your home state from Victoria this afternoon. The IBAC hearings we've been following closely. We've learnt that senior public servants covered up $285 million worth of COVID grants that were given to businesses that were actually ineligible. It was a time of crisis, we can acknowledge that, but does that excuse these oversights, or does it point to a serious culture issue within Victoria's public service?

Webster  

Well, I would have to agree with that reflection, that it does point to a culture issue among public servants. Now, why that has taken place, why it has taken so long to become evident, and how long the premier has known about this? I don't know. But there's certainly questions for a strong opposition to be asking, which we now have with Jess Wilson and Danny O'Brien and the team down in Victoria, and I certainly hope they prosecute this well and truly into the election.

Gillon  

Anne Webster, thanks for making the time.

Webster  

Thank you.