Television interview with Minister Butler and Sarah Abo – Today Show – 24 February 2025

SARAH ABO, HOST: GP appointments could become free of charge after Labor pledged the biggest boost to Medicare in history. It's a big election promise and it comes at a crucial time, with the polls revealing Labor's on course for defeat. We are joined now by Health Minister Mark Butler. Good morning to you, Minister. So the polls they're getting worse for you guys. The two latest this morning giving the Coalition a 55 per cent lead. You have some big problems.
 
MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGED CARE, MARK BUTLER: There will be a tsunami of polls between now and the real polling date, which will be election day. They'll go up. They'll go down. But we've been really clear this is going to be a challenging election. It's going to be tight. There's a real choice for the Australian people between Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese. On health policy, the choice couldn't be clearer. This guy has a dismal record as Health Minister. He was voted by doctors as the worst Health Minister in the history of Medicare for very good reason. He tried to rip tens of billions of dollars out of hospital funding. He tried to abolish bulk billing altogether. Yesterday's policy, from Labor's point of view, the biggest investment in Medicare in its history, is to address that slide in bulk billing we've seen over recent years, that all started back when Peter Dutton froze Medicare funding.
 
ABO: So if that gives you a boost in the polls, will that be welcome? I mean, you talk about a tsunami of polls. They're all tracking badly for you, Mark Butler, this is the problem. I mean, you didn't even get a boost following the interest rate cut?
 
BUTLER: We know it's a challenging environment, but look, we're not focused on polls - I know politicians all say that. You've got two polls out today that I've seen, there might be more, they're several percentage points different. At the end of the day, we're focused on putting a vision before the Australian people. We've worked really hard over the last three years to deliver cost of living relief, to strengthen Medicare, to make medicines cheaper, but we know we have to do more. Yesterday's announcement is about laying out what more we would do if we had the honour of being elected to a second term.
 
ABO: Yeah, that big announcement yesterday in front of Labor faithful, we're not even in an election yet, but it's sounding like we're getting very, very close. The $8.5 billion to Medicare that's on top of huge spending in areas like defence, the NDIS not to mention those debt interest repayments. I mean, how are you going to afford it?
 
BUTLER: Most of that was provisioned in the Mid-Year Budget update in December. We've delivered two budget surpluses. Our approach to budget management has been very responsible, trying to make sure we do everything to help households with cost of living and reducing pressure on inflation.
 
ABO: You haven't mentioned Minister where the savings come from for this policy?
 
BUTLER: All of that will be laid out before the Australian people at the next budget update, well before they have the chance to cast a vote. But I just remind you, we've delivered two budget surpluses. The first time there have been successive budget surpluses in 15 years. But with that there is -
 
ABO: Sorry, I just want to pick you up on that, Minister. Did you say update or next budget before the election? Because that's telling.
 
BUTLER: The budget is a budget update.
 
ABO: So we're getting one before the next election?
 
BUTLER: I don't get to determine the election time you know that Sarah.
 
ABO: It sounds like you might have just let something slip.
 
BUTLER: Whenever the next election –
 
ABO: After the budget?
 
BUTLER: All of those numbers are going to be laid out before the Australian people. But can your viewers think of a more important thing for a government to spend money on than addressing health care? Bulk billing is sliding, out of pocket costs are rising, and more, and more Australians are saying they can't afford to go to the doctor when they need to. This package yesterday is all about addressing that and getting back to that core promise of Medicare, which was delivered 40 years ago by Bob Hawke, which is that every Australian deserves the world's best health care no matter what their means, no matter what their income.
 
ABO: Okay, so budget before election but you mentioned there that Medicare and health is one of the most important things. It seems there's a bipartisan approach and agreement on that. Your so called I suppose “Mediscare” campaign was quickly shut down when Peter Dutton outbid you. Your warnings about Medicare funding, I mean, that could be slashed under the Coalition. It's planning to spend even more than you guys if elected.
 
BUTLER: We've seen this film before. In the 2013 campaign that's exactly what they promised and within months, Peter Dutton tried to abolish bulk billing. He tried to cut $50 billion from hospitals. He tried to make people pay a fee when they went to the emergency department. This guy has a record on this. But even if you leave that aside, why would you trust the person who created this mess in the first place to fix it? Labor is the party of Medicare. We've protected it for 40 years. We've strengthened it over the last three years. But we know there's more we need to do to turn around what is a slide in bulk billing for Australians who don't have the benefit of a concession card.
 
ABO: And more might include a complete overhaul, but let's see how that all plays out. Thank you so much for joining us, Mark. Appreciate it.