Monday, 9 November 2026

Topics: Resolve polling; inflation; interest rates; productivity; EU FTA; critical minerals; savings; private health insurance.

E&OE……………………..

Natalie Barr: Voters have marked down the federal government over the cost of living, with nearly half holding Labor responsible for rising costs. Just over a quarter instead blame global factors, with the Reserve Bank and state governments well behind. Aussies have also had their say on whether they trust Anthony Albanese after a $6 million grant saga in his electorate, with only 20% now saying they still trust the Prime Minister. Let's bring in Social Services Minister, Tanya Plibersek, and Shadow Treasurer, Tim Wilson. Morning to both of you. Tanya, we know not everyone will like who the Prime Minister is, we've seen that through history, but shouldn't they be at least trusted?

Tanya Plibersek: I think Australians have always been a bit sceptical of politics and that's a healthy thing in a democracy. What we see is a Prime Minister that is absolutely firmly focused on what matters to Australians, and that's cost of living support. That's why we're doing the things that we're doing, making it possible to see a bulk-billing GP, bulk-billing rates have gone through the roof, it's much easier to see a doctor for free than when we came back to government. That sort of stuff is opposed by Tim. We've made medicines cheaper. We've made sure that wages can go up, again, opposed by the Liberals. We've brought taxes down. There'll be another tax cut this year, another tax cut next year. Again, the Liberals went to the last election with a plan for higher taxes on working Australians. So our focus is absolutely 100%...

Natalie Barr: I think we've got a bit of a problem there with the sound. We might go to Tim. Look, this poll this morning is actually good for Angus Taylor. Does this stave off any leadership challenge to him over Christmas, which has been rumoured in some circles?

Tim Wilson: That's not even a conversation anyone in the Coalition is having. But I want to stress actually how disappointing it is that we do have a Prime Minister where only one in five Australians trust the Prime Minister. We should actually want a nation where people trust their leaders, and particularly where people have a sense of confidence because the global environment is challenging. We need a government that Australians trust, but one of the problems is the Prime Minister keeps stoking inflation and making Australians poorer, because this government's economic model is an active inflation agenda which is to stoke inflation, tax inflation, spend inflation in a vicious cycle that sadly is sending households backwards. That's why people are so upset, because they're having to make choices between whether they can afford to keep their house or send their kid on a school excursion. I would have thought that we want to be a nation where we're able to do both those things.

Natalie Barr: Tanya, we've got a problem, haven't we, when we've got the RBA saying productivity is dead in this country, we have businesses screaming out saying we need help from the red tape, from everything that is being put up against us, and then we've got the Treasurer of this country a year after a productivity roundtable going to Treasury, apparently, last week saying, "Now we need something to help productivity." Do you really think your government is on top of this?

Tanya Plibersek: 100%. I'll just give you a few examples. Our free TAFE program is about making sure that Australians have the skills they need to earn more, to get great jobs, and it's about making sure that our country is more productive by investing in skills. I'll give you another example. We've got a European Free Trade Agreement on the table right now. It's about to go to the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties. Business groups universally saying that this is a really important thing for Australia's prosperity. Why wouldn't the Liberals back the Australia-Europe Free Trade Agreement that will add billions of dollars to our economy? Tim's party are actually talking about cutting support for critical minerals. We know that critical minerals, Australia could be a globally important source of critical minerals, and the Coalition want to cut support for critical minerals.

Natalie Barr: Tim, could you answer that?

Tim Wilson: Well, firstly, we don't believe in corporate welfare. We want to make sure that these industries are sustainable, and there's a massive amount of global capital flowing into investing in things like critical minerals because the private sector needs them at an affordable price. I just ultimately don't think Australian taxpayers' dollars should be going towards supporting industries that should be able to stand on their own two feet. This is the global environment we operate in where these critical minerals are in demand. But it's equally important that Australia is benchmarked against the rest of the world, particularly when it comes to things like interest rates. Australia has had five interest rate hikes this year, the rest of the developed world has only basically had one. The problem we have is a government that's addicted to spending. That's why Australian households are going backward, and until we get a government that pulls its belt in before it turns around to the Australian people and asks them for their belt in, sadly Australians are going to be worse off.

Natalie Barr: Last word, Tanya, because...

Tanya Plibersek: Why won't Tim back the $10 billion of savings that are stuck in the Senate? If he's serious about savings, he should back those $10 billion…

Tim Wilson: Because you’re targeting healthcare for pensioners.

Tanya Plibersek: Oh, what nonsense. What nonsense that is. There's $4 billion of changes to trusts, there's EV changes, there's a passenger movement change.

Tim Wilson: But, you’re punching down on pensioners, Tanya.

Tanya Plibersek: No, what we're saying is the private health insurance rebate should be based on your income, not on your age, so that an older couple living next door to a young family should get the same rebate. An older couple who are earning the same as the young family next door...

Tim Wilson: We need more Australians, Tanya, on private health care.

Natalie Barr: Pensioners are going to be cut by that too, aren’t they, Tanya? It’s private health.

Tanya Plibersek: No, this is about people on the same income getting the same rebate, not based on age. How is that unfair, if people on the same income…

Tim Wilson: Tanya, you need more older Australians on private health.

Tanya Plibersek: A young family paying off a mortgage, raising their kids, paying for childcare, paying for schools should get the same amount of rebate as the couple next door who are earning the same amount of income, who may have paid off their house because they're a bit older, who don't have kids to feed and kids to send to school. How is it unfair that two households on the same income get different rebates? That's what we're proposing and that's what Tim's opposing.

Tim Wilson: I want to make it crystal clear what we are opposing is the government's proposal means an assault on pensioners. You need more older Australians to be on private health, because most people's health costs are actually at the latter stage of their life, you get those people off the private health system, they go on the public health system and the cost for the taxpayer soars.

Tanya Plibersek: So, people on the same income, regardless of age, should get the same rebate. We support the rebate; we're saying that it shouldn't be based on...

Tim Wilson: So, on that basis you get rid of the age pension! This is insane, Tanya. We have policy settings that reflect the different stages of life, understanding the essential services that Australians need. But more importantly, we actually want to get people off the cost of the health system and the Australian taxpayer, and for them to take ownership and control.

Tanya Plibersek: You've never backed investment in Medicare. You've never backed cheaper medicines…

Tim Wilson: I’m sorry, that is simply not true, Tanya.

Natalie Barr: We’re going to leave it there. If you are in that older group over 65 and you get that rebate, explain to us how that works if you are on the pension as well. Thank you very much, we'll leave it…

Tanya Plibersek: So…

Natalie Barr: We’ll have to leave it there. I'm sorry, we've got to get to the news. Thank you.

[ENDS]