Shadow Minister for Regional Health, Shadow Minister for Regional Communications - Member for Mallee - Transcript - Sky News Afternoon Agenda with Ashleigh Gillon - Wednesday 22 April 2026

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‍DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL HEALTH

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TOPICS: Labor's proposed NDIS changes, Albury Wodonga hospital needs, preferencing in Farrer by-election

GILLON

Let's bring you some more reaction now to those changes. Joining us live is the shadow Regional Health Minister, Dr Anne Webster. We just had a pretty positive response there, Anne from Dr Martin Laverty, who was one of the original architects of this scheme, saying the changes announced today really stick with what was intended right back at the beginning for this scheme. What's your response, considering we know the costs need to come down, is this a fair way to do it?

WEBSTER

Look, I think that it sounds very promising, and we do need to get back to the basics, the intention of the NDIS, the fact is that it is exploded under Labor. And I know that some families will feel particularly anxious that they might be one of the 160,000 people who will be now, hopefully receiving help in other ways which the Labor government needs to tell us how they are going to do that. But the fact is that the spending must be reined in. This is a Labor problem. They can't just keep ignoring it. So the Coalition stands ready to collaborate and I think that the things that I have read about that speech are promising. I am really cautiously - but keenly - interested in how the planning mechanisms, that intermediate level of bureaucracy, really will be managed by Labor, because we know that people who can be planners, who have zero education or experience in disability, and making decisions that kibosh a specialist's advice and then - in other ways -will approve plans that you know are questionable. So I as an MP, I have a lot come through my door - as a mother of a son who was who was on the spectrum and lived his primary school years, secondary school years, struggling with all of the issues with ADHD and Asperger's, there was no support at all. So I don't want to see parents go through what we went through as parents, where there was no support. It is important that these kids get the support that they need as well.

GILLON

Okay, well, that's a pretty much more positive initial response than we heard from Melissa McIntosh, your Liberal colleague, a little bit earlier in the program. So, it's interesting to see where the Coalition lands on some of these changes. I do want to point out you're joining us from on the ground in the seat of Farrer. We're all, of course, looking forward to the by-election happening there. What mood are you picking up on the ground there? What's your expectation as to how this will play out? It sounds like it's going to be pretty tough for the Coalition to hold onto that seat.

WEBSTER

Look, it is tough. There's no question about that. I don't think anybody has said that it's going to be a walk in the park. As the Shadow Minister for Regional Communications, I've been here today talking with the Councils - Albury and Wodonga -  also health clinicians, again, Albury and Wodonga, the hospital is a huge issue here, and the Coalition has committed to not only assisting with the brownfield site, so you know, fixing as much as is possible in the current hospital, but also committing to a site - purchase of a greenfield site - and the early planning for that. I think that's very important for the people of Farrer to know. It is the dream of Brad Robertson, the excellent Nationals candidate for this region that we have a tertiary training hospital here in Albury, and I certainly have no objection to supporting him on that. I think regional health care has just we have become second class citizens out in the regions, and it is absolutely not good enough.

GILLON

Dr Webster is it the right call, do you think, for Nationals and Liberals, for that matter, to decide to preference One Nation above the independent candidate in that seat?

WEBSTER

The Nationals have already done that. There is a deal done between One Nation and the Nationals, so we will be preferencing One Nation higher and I think that you know, there is, as we know Australians, there is a large proportion, a reasonable sized proportion of people who are pretty angry, and they have a right to be angry with the cost of living, with the fuel crisis, adding to that, of course, and the various other issues that people have been facing, inflation being worse, younger families not being able to buy into the housing market. There is a lot of anger in the community. I think the mistake people make is to think that the Coalition is the same as Labor. We're not the same. We're absolutely not the same, and I would encourage people to look up and do some homework on the policies and the positions that we take, because you don't want to be stuck with the Labor government for another four years after 2028

GILLON

Dr Anne Webster, thanks for making the time.

WEBSTER

Thank you

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