Member for Mallee - Transcript - Interview ABC Radio Mildura -Swan Hill and Wimmera - Breakfast with Grace Marshall - 23 May 2026

DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL HEALTH
SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TRANSCRIPT

TOPICS:   Federal Budget, capital gains tax, negative gearing, bracket creep, regional connectivity lack of investment, Urgent Care Clinics, regional health solutions, 3G shutdown impacts, Home Medicine Review program, road funding, regional investment, Merbein boy’s need for help with medical bills

Marshall  

You are listening to ABC Wimmera and ABC Mildura, Swan Hill - now it is the first full federal budget since Labor's election victory last year. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is selling it as big reform budget, and he says it will tip the scales to make the tax system fairer for young Australians. But what does this mean for you in the Mallee? Anne Webster is the federal member for the Mallee. Good morning. Anne,

Webster  

Good morning. Grace. How are you?

Marshall  

Well, thank you. What is your reaction to last night's budget?

Webster  

Well, I hear what you say that it was by Jim Chalmers to be a - if you like, ‘resetting’ of the unfair advantage of older people to younger people. I actually don't think that that is in the long term. What is going to happen? Things like capital gains tax, negative gearing on properties and so forth have been available to those in older generations. He's going to grandfather those arrangements so older people will continue getting those benefits, but younger people won't have access to them. I think it will stifle their aspiration further. So, I am not sure why he thought this was a good policy to take forward. Obviously, there is a large amount, $77 billion in taxes that are increasing on Australians, regardless of your age. And the one thing that would have made a difference is if he dealt with bracket creep. Bracket creep is happening because of inflation and higher wages, because of inflationary measures, et cetera, and so people are being pushed into a higher tax bracket, and therefore having to pay a higher percentage on what they earn. That's not of benefit to anyone, and I certainly hear complaints about that, and rightly so. I think it is one of the key measures that ought to be dealt with so that bracket creep does not continue. He has said that, you know, it's not for now, and it, of course, would lose a lot of funding for the government. And so, yeah, look, out in the regions more generally, I am concerned that there has been funding cut from regional communications in my portfolio, of course, that we're not going to see, you know, there is now a cutting of the Mobile Black Spot program, Regional Connectivity Program, so there's no funding for them going forward. And the Regional Tech Hubs, which have helped regional Australians so much, whether it's in telehealth, whether it's in business at home, or those studying online, or for people to be able to connect to triple zero, the regional tech hub, which has been run by the NFF, sorry, National Farmers Federation, that funding has been cut as well. So once again, I think regional Australians are suffering under this budget.  

In terms of health, my other portfolio, the impacts are, you know, increased funding for Urgent Care Clinics. We have one in Mildura, but none across the rest of Mallee. Places like Horsham don't have them, so they're increasing funding for Urgent Care Clinics. And that's, I don't think it is the regional solution that we need. If you consider a GP Level B consultation costs the taxpayer $42.85 to be precise. At an Urgent Care Clinic, consultation for exactly the same condition costs the taxpayer $216 and if someone goes to the emergency department for the same condition, then it costs the taxpayer $616 so yes, the government is trying to get people not to go to ED and go to a UCC. But honestly, the best solution would be to increase the support for general practices and increasing the workforce for general practices across regional Australia.

Marshall  

And before we get into more of the healthcare conversation, let's go back to the connectivity with in regards to the Black Spot Program, how does that actually impact people on the ground in the Mallee?

Webster  

That's a very good question. So the Mobile Black Spot Program is designed to have Telstra and other providers go in shares with the government and other entities, whether it's councils or otherwise, to put up towers where there are black spots, where you can't get any signal. Those signals have increased, sorry, decreased. I should say - you can't get connectivity in so many more places now, because we moved from 3G which was a wider arc, to 4G and now 5G so there are more and more people who have no connectivity or zero connectivity.

Marshall  

You say more and more people. Do you know the number of people that would be missing out due to those changes, or due to missing that in the budget?

Webster  

It has been no, I don't have those numbers for you on the phone, but certainly can look into it for you. It's certainly anecdotally true across Mallee that people are complaining that there is no signal, and the advice that Telstra is giving more often is: Get Starlink. So, the government are definitely removing funding from that Black Spot Program to build towers to increase connectivity, and that goes for roads as well. So, we are in a shifting environment. However, towers or infrastructure are still required, but the government has removed that funding.  

Marshall  

You're hearing this morning from Anne Webster, federal Member for the Mallee. We are talking about the budget. You can get involved in the conversation on 0467842722, and if we move back to talking about health care. Recently on ABC Mildura Swan Hill and ABC Wimmera, we did hear from a local pharmacist, Brooke Shelley, who works as part of the Home Medicine Review program and helps people manage their medicines better and avoid drug misadventures. She said pharmacists were struggling under restrictive conditions and caps, which means she can only see 30 patients every month. She has been a strong local advocate, but changes to the program were not included in the budget. I know Anne, you have been speaking to pharmacists around the area as part of this push. Is it disappointing to you that funding hasn't been given to this program?

Webster  

Extremely, extremely disappointing. All of the budget cuts that impact regional Australians and pharmacists and nurse practitioners for that matter, are filling gaps where we don't have GPs. Of course, they can't do everything that GPs do. We understand that, but the Home Medication Review program, and the caps that sit on pharmacists, as Brooke has articulated so well, mean that she can't see the number of people who actually need reviews. What we need to understand about that is that people can end up, particularly if they go into hospital, they can end up taking more medication than they were before. Not everybody is on top of the number of medications that they have when they need to take them and whether they need to continue taking them. So, there are plenty of people who end up in hospitals because of their medication regime, which needed review, and they aren't able to get those reviews. They're limited and I think it's an incredibly important program that I am absolutely backing the pharmacists in on whether it's residential aged care, it's the same thing, RMMRS and the Home Medicine Reviews are both just two but very important programs that should be funded and should be expanded and the policy should change, period!

Marshall  

If we talk about now roads and $845.9 million has been allocated for road funding nationally. We've seen $730 million directed to regional areas, and $372 going towards upgrading the Western Highway in the Budget, was there a lot in there between Ballarat and Stawell for the Western Highway? Have you seen any of that information?

Webster  

No, I have not been ... I have not seen that information. The Budget, just for those who don't understand, is very fine print. And my two portfolios, comms and health, of course, have to be my priority, but in terms of understanding how they're changing or not changing. But roads are incredibly important. And I can tell you now that, I mean, even if it was a billion dollars, it is not enough for regional roads. And to have hundreds of millions go to the Western Highway just goes to show how many, you know, relatively speaking, roads will not get attention at all, and that is deeply concerning. You know, we've had cuts the Inland Rail project. It's not so much in Victoria. There's a little bit in Victoria from Melbourne to Brisbane that's been cut. They've taken $6.15 billion out of that and put $3.8 billion into Melbourne Suburban Rail Loop. I think there are plenty of people in the regions who would think that's pretty outrageous, and $4.7 billion has been cut from infrastructure overall, so the nation will not see the buildings that we need. And not a lot of that was going certainly very little of it was going into Mallee over the last four years. I mean, we have literally dried up other than Swan Hill, there is very little that has gone into any other Shire in Mallee, the there's $103 million cut to the National Water Grid. That is also concerning, as the government continues to buy back water from the Murray there are plenty of outrage outraged people about that, and rightly so. And then we've got a $191.6 million cut from the pest and disease, regional trade and drought funding for farmers. You know, it's that's pretty, pretty disappointing, I've got to say.  

Marshall  

Was there anything Anne that you saw in the Budget specific for the Mallee and I were talking about what we missed out on, but was there anything that we gained in that budget?

Webster  

Not that I'm aware of. I will certainly let you know Grace if I find anything. But at this point in time, no, I have seen nothing that is going to be coming to the Mallee.

Marshall  

Lots to discuss here this morning, and I do appreciate your time. Last week, we heard about local Merbein boy Michele Dichiera. He's believed to be the only person in Australia born with a giant cell angioplastoma. You can read more about his story on the ABC website. But we know Anne that the family is seeking help with $10,000 a month in medical bills. I know that you were speaking to the Health Minister about it. Is there an update?

Webster  

Unfortunately, no, there is not an update. And, you know, let's be fair, it's Budget week, and I'm sure he's really busy. However, yes, my letter went to the Minister, and I am waiting to hear back from him. Of course, I've spoken with Raschelle and Rob and you know, I mean, I think to have to be the ... to have a child with you, only one in Australia with that disease deserves incredible support. And so, I will be following up with the Minister to ensure that he has received and will act on my letter seeking his intervention. I know the oncologists have also written to him - a surgeon - so he's certainly being he's been approached from multiple sides.

Marshall  

Well, thank you so much for your time this morning. Anne, really appreciate it, on your reaction to the Budget there  

Webster

No worries at all. Thanks. Grace.

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