Member for Mallee - Transcript - Interview ABC Radio Mildura -Swan Hill and Wimmera - Breakfast with Grace Marshall - 13 May 2026

DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

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

TRANSCRIPT

TOPICS: childcare costs, housing affordability, regional families,childcare deserts, split income tax, dual income households, childcare subsidies, single parent families, export fees, agricultural impact, renewable energy, North West Nine, local government, infrastructure investment, community benefits

Marshall  

Are you a part of a young family living in the Mallee? Do you have young children? What are your main concerns or worries at the moment? Member for Mallee, Dr. Anne Webster, is meeting with regional families this week to hear from you about the rising costs in childcare, housing affordability, but also the unique challenges facing parents facing you that are living in our regional and rural communities. She joins me now. Good morning, Dr. Webster.

Webster  

Good morning, Grace. How are you?

Marshall  

Well, thank you. So, this information session that you're hosting, what have you heard so far?

Webster  

There are many issues, and I've been hearing for some years about the child care deserts that are around in Mallee. So, we have towns with no childcare at all. Over time, it has meant that we, as a coalition, have been looking at policy that is being developed. A lot of the research has been done, but I want to particularly hear from locals. So yesterday I held a session in Warracknabeal, and today is in Horsham, and I've previously held one a couple of weeks ago in Maryborough. So I'm hoping that there will be a few mums and dads, and probably babies in the mix this morning, so that's at 930 at the Church of Christ. It was to be at the town hall, but we've had to move venue, so looking forward to hearing what they have to say about that. Then you've got the issue of, you know, parents often they work because they have to, not because they want to, and since the 1970s we've moved from a one income household to a dual income household over time, and people have mortgages and rents and all the costs of living in Australia, let alone in regional Australia, and it's very difficult without that dual income, so we're proposing things like split income tax, so that if one person in a couple wishes to do the work and the other one wants to stay home and raise kids, then the income from the person who is working would be split over the two people, therefore dropping their tax rate significantly. I mean, it can be 10 $20,000 of savings to that household, so it's an important policy to take forward, but there are plenty of others, and I'm open to hearing lots of ideas from people, so I'm looking forward to this session today. There's some statistics coming in that 73% of families with children aged zero to 14 had both parents who both worked, and that's up 13% since over 20 years ago now. So, is what you're hearing is that families do want to stay at home, that they would prefer to have one parent at home parenting and one parent working. Yes, there are obviously not everybody, and I do hear some who also say they're quite relieved to go to work, because it's easier than being at home. So, look, people have different views and the way they manage their life, and we're not looking to impose anything, but rather to give choice and option. So, one of the child care options that we're looking at is funding, or the subsidies for child care going to family members of choice, to the parents, or friends, or whomever. You know what options would be something that people would consider rather than putting children into institutionalised child cares, because not everybody wants that.

Marshall  

What about single parent families? Do they miss out on that tax break?

Webster  

I think the choice, well, split income tax is about a couple, so I don't think that that would apply for a single. However, I think the child care choice factor certainly should be available to a single mum or dad who has to work and look after their kids. Yesterday I heard about child support, and that not being honoured by the alternate partner, who's obviously the relationship is broken down, that also creates issues that look, there's always room for more policy. You just don't want policy to get in the road of what people are actually, how people are wanting to live their lives. This is to assist rather than assert that you know, for example, institutional institutionalised childcare is the only answer.

Marshall  

And this is something that the coalition would bring in if you were successful at the November election?

Webster  

Yes, these policies are what we're already looking at. The Nats, I'm not sure where the Libs are up to. They don't tend to necessarily communicate until they've got it all signed, sealed, and delivered, but from our nationals perspective. A lot of this policy work has already been done, and we're committed to bringing genuine change and options for people as they live, because I mean, we represent regional Australia. Regional Australia does not have a childcare centre on every corner. If you are in Melbourne and you can't get a place in a childcare centre in Melbourne, well, you know, you go a suburb away, and there'll be one or two or three, or you know, potentially more other options. It's not like that in the region. So we're interested in regional solutions for the issues that every family has to face.  

Marshall  

You're hearing this morning from member for Mallee, Dr. Anne Webster. Dr. Anne, if we now talk about the export fees. You also put out a media release yesterday expressing your displeasure with the federal government's final export cost recovery implementation statements, which, for those who don't know, is a public document used by the governments to transparently detail how they do calculate, how they implement regulatory fees and charges. What is it about that statement that has concerned you or concerned The Nationals?

Webster  

Specifically It's around agriculture and the export fees that farmers will have to pay or pay are going up in some instances up to 384% higher than what they are right now, these costs and the imposts on farmers just continue to gather on their accounting system and their ability to keep farming more and more. I'm hearing from farmers that they're seriously considering giving it away, you know, we are strong agricultural giving their farms away. Yeah, giving away farming, just getting it off the desk, because the imposts on them from import duties, you know, when others import products in containers from overseas, they might bring in high chairs, which has been the case, and they bring in beetles or biosecurity issues, and farmers are having to pay for that when it has nothing to do with them, so some of the rules and some of the decisions that are being made adversely and unfairly affect farmers, and you know, then we've got, of course, in Mallee, we've got the renewables and transmission issues and mining issues, and so it goes on. So the farming community, all credit to them, have been fighting hard to say we matter, and they do, and I've certainly been standing with them. And yesterday, Grace, I met with the North West Nine, who are nine councils the Buloke, Ganawarra, Hindmarsh, Horsham, Loddon, Northern Grampian, Swan Hill, West Wimmera, and Yarriambiack councils, the mayors and the CEOs to look at their strategy for holding the state and federal government to account, so that if this renewable railroading continues, then local communities actually benefit, because they're not benefiting, and there's no investment by the government or by international investors into Australia into councils.

Marshall  

Did you see the plan, Dr. Webster?

Webster  

Yes, yes. So they've presented me with the strategic plan. We went through it yesterday, and all the councils, what they want to see is that their communities, if this is going to go ahead, if all the projects are going to go ahead, that communities are not left with poorer roads, with no investment in their local communities, with all royalties going elsewhere, not into the council areas. It costs them a lot of money. For example, if you're talking about housing, there is an expectation that the local government will sort out the housing and the planning and the roads and the sewerage and all of those things, but they're not funded for that, and most of them are living on off the smell of an oily rag, and that's a whole other issue, but to impose all of this infrastructure, industrial interest infrastructure on farming land and in farming communities matters, and the councils recognise that they want to stick up for their local communities. They would prefer that these projects weren't going ahead, but if they get no say in it, then they want to see that their communities are the ones who are going to benefit, and we're not seeing that at the moment. So, I've set up meetings for that group of nine councils, North West Nine, all power to them, with Chris Bowen for next week in Canberra, when ALGA is on, and also with Christy McBane, who's the Minister for Local Government. So I believe they've also got a meeting coming up with Lily D'Ambrosio, so it's. You know them coming together and working together rather than a single council, which doesn't feel like it's got much clout, I think is extremely wise, and I'm certainly standing by them.

Marshall  

Something we'll have to chat about next week when that meeting does happen in Canberra. And just before you go, Dr Webster, where are those meetings today that you are hosting, if people are wanting to come down to them and speak with you today.

Webster  

Thank you, Horsham Church of Christ, at 9:30 And then I'll be doing, just for reference, a mobile office in Stall, I believe around 1o'clock I may have that time wrong, but it's definitely on my Facebook page. I don't have it in front of me right now.

Marshall  

Well, thank you so much for your time this morning.

Webster  

Thank you.

Marshall  

That's Dr Anne Webster, their federal member for the Mallee, speaking there on a few different issues, the North West Nine councils, which we will hear more about that next week when they do head to Canberra, or they do speak with Chris Minns in Canberra. We'll also talk about the export fees a little bit more on that, and she is meeting with Mallee families today, Mallee parents, that what some of the concerns are for you that are living regionally and rurally as well.