Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories - Shadow Minister for Regional Communications - Transcript - Interview River1467 AM radio Sunraysia - 19 November 2025

DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TRANSCRIPT

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TOPICS: Cheaper, Better, Fairer Energy policy - Energy prices - Speed Limits consultation - Electric vehicles - Biofuels - Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism visit - Christmas break

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BRADSHAW

You're on the breakfast show and Damo great to have your company, filling in today for Dave Burrows, we're about to catch up with federal member of The Nationals Anne Webster, good morning Anne. I hope you’re well?

WEBSTER

I am well, thank you very much, Damien. How are you?

BRADSHAW

Be alright once I get over the culture shock of the alarm clock going off at 4am in the morning, but I'm sure I'll get on top of that.

WEBSTER

Yeah. Now that's pretty ugly, of course.

BRADSHAW

It's very ugly. Not pretty ugly. Now. Cheaper, better, fairer power. It's now Coalition policy. So are you gonna go into the same $275 off a year or what?

WEBSTER

(laughs), No, that went down so well for Labor - No. Our policy is about Cheaper and Better and Fairer electricity for everyone. So, people’s power bills will come down. That is our commitment to finding better solutions. than this all-renewables approach with 28,000 kilometres of transmission lines. That's not where we're at. We want to see -  we’re technology neutral, so whatever power is available at a cheaper rate, yeah, that is what we're interested in. It’s not that we're walking away from emissions reductions. I mean, we're playing our part, but the fact is Australia has dropped its emissions by 24 per cent compared to OECD comparable countries overseas who've dropped it at 14 per cent. So, we're well and truly going faster than every everybody else to the detriment of our own industries, to the detriment of people's power bills. It's just not fair. We recognise that and we want to see Australians do better.

BRADSHAW

I couldn’t agree with you more Anne. It's getting to the side where people are going without to pay power bills and all sorts of stuff and it's raised, what, about 40 per cent since they've come into power, so this $275 a year - it's just a furphy.

WEBSTER

Oh yeah, completely - electricity bills have gone up, gas has gone up, the cost of everything goes up because, of course you need energy to make the food, to make the fuel, to transport the fuel, everything it costs more if energy is higher, so we want to see energy come down, gas to come down and it is about supply and demand and ensuring that people have access to the power they need at a cheaper price.

BRADSHAW

Now Anne the next one, I don’t think we're going to spend much time on it, hardly deserves our oxygen. Speed Limits – proposed reduction in the default speed limit from 100 kilometres down to 70 - obviously, they hadn't thought about emergency services and distance travelled in regional …. why don't we just all ride push bikes?

WEBSTER

Yeah, nah, that would be a solution, hey, let's take the wheat to the port on a push bike, or four-thousand? No, it's just a nonsensical solution to the problems that there are - fatalities on our regional roads. We get that that. How about fixing the roads, Labor? That would be a great start and we also want to see that this is not about emissions reduction and this particular consultation paper that Catherine King has put out is about reducing fatalities, no disagreement.  Other ways to do it, it's about reducing fuel consumption. OK, nice idea, but the problem is there are plenty of cars that actually use more fuel as they go slower, so I'm told I'm no …

BRADSHAW

It's true, it labours a bit more, yep …

WEBSTER

…and then thirdly, we want to see emissions come down at the expense of regional drivers. Great idea, Not! Nobody ever said that was a good idea. What I put this up on post, you know, on social post.

BRADSHAW

Yes.

WEBSTER

I had over 700,000 I don't know what the figure is now, but you know, a couple weeks ago it was over 700,000 views of this particular subject and so many people comment “This is nonsense.” I mean, you would think it was a made up story, except it's not.

BRADSHAW

Well, it looks like a out of a Monty Python script, no doubt about it, but anyway. Well, it's a bit like, you know, trying to push us towards electric cars and making the power as dear as poison, it’s madness.

WEBSTER

Yeah. Well, I mean, you know, you're right. Electric cars have their place, electric trucks in the cities, and they're just, you know, going around blocks. But, you know, freight trucks are out on our roads, doing thousands and thousands of kilometres. No, there are better solutions. In fact, one of the discussions I've had with the trucking industry in Brisbane this last week has been about biofuels and biogas. Both solutions and Mallee certain play its part. Our farming communities are already engaged in developing biofuels and you only need a percentage in order to drop emissions. So, I think that there are some really positive steps that we can take. We're certainly looking at it on our side of politics and we want to see change.

BRADSHAW

Nah, fantastic. Yeah. You're bringing the Shadow Trade and Tourism Minister Kevin Hogan to the Mallee  tomorrow.

WEBSTER

I am indeed. Kevin Hogan is a good friend of mine and he is the shadow minister, as you say, for trade and tourism.  So he will be - I'll be taking him over to Robinvale to meet with some fresh grape producers who export then down to Stawell to meet with Krause Bricks, who also export all over the world, which is an incredible business. And then I'll be taking him to Best’s winery – Best’s winery, has one of the - I don't love the name, but it actually is true - I got really, really good wine and they've been around for ever and they have the oldest vineyard in Australia. They have so many varieties that came out from Italy and from Europe generally, so yeah really looking forward to talking him around and meeting with business people in the evening.

BRADSHAW

Yeah, Anne we’re only little bit over a month away from Christmas, as the Federal Member for The Nationals do you start to wind down for now just full steam ahead until Christmas Eve basically.

WEBSTER

Well, honestly, it's funny you mentioned that because I was thinking about this morning and thinking, wow, I'm looking forward to Christmas and so are my staff, I can assure you. We just go flat out all year and the office will be closed from December 19 and opening January 5. So yeah, we will get a bit of a break. Of course, it depends for me if there are bushfires, God forbid, then it's all hands on deck because I obviously need to engage in that, but let's hope that that doesn't happen.

BRADSHAW

Exactly right Anne, let’s keep our fingers crossed and looks like its going to be a warm summer – unscathed? I doubt it – but let's hope we can get through relatively unscathed it’s been great to catch up with this morning. Make sure you stay busy!

WEBSTER

(laughs)

BRADSHAW

'll talk. I'll talk to you. I'll talk to you again in a fortnight

WEBSTER

OK, good on you. Bye.

BRADSHAW

That was Federal Member for the Nationals Anne Webster She'll stay busy alright - she works incredibly hard for this district. There's no doubt about it and I've got an idea – 100 down to 70, why don't we just all the work, make it really simple, wouldn't it?

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