Minister Shorten doorstop interview at Services Australia, Mount Barker

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

SUBJECTS: $241 million in outstanding Medicare payments owed to Australians; MP's declaration of flights; academic pressure on politicians re: abortion laws.

REBECCA SHARKIE, MEMBER FOR MAYO: I'd like to now welcome the Minister for NDIS, Government Services Minister Bill Shorten, who I - I'm allowed to have favourites, the Minister is my favourite Minister in the government. There we go. Mic drop over to you.

BILL SHORTEN, MINISTER FOR THIS NDIS AND GOVERNMENT SERVICES: Look, it is great to be in Rebecca Sharkie's electorate of Mayo. The truth of the matter is, Rebecca is one of the hardest working members of Parliament. She's highly respected in all parts. And I was very keen to come and visit, hear her issues on the ground. It's great to be here at Service Australia and the NDIA office. The Services Australia staff here look after over 100 people every day, making sure that people can get their pensions, their entitlements, their Medicare. And it's fantastic, what this hard-working team do.

It's also great to be here with staff from the National Disability Insurance Agency. The NDIS is changing hundreds of thousands of lives for the better. There's been a lot of change. We're making the scheme better. We're making it true to its original purpose. We're ensuring it's sustainable. But all of that happens because we've got great people. So, the fact that call waiting times in Centrelink are down, processing payment times are now shorter in Medicare because of the hard work. And in the NDIS, we're getting better outcomes for people daily, is due to hard work in Commonwealth public servants here in Mount Barker.

But I'm not just here to listen and not just here to say thank you to the public servants who look after people when they're vulnerable or in distress. I've got some good news for South Australians and good news for Australians generally, during a cost-of-living crisis. At the moment, there is $241 million of Medicare payments which people have accrued. In other words, the money is there for them. There's 930,000 of our fellow Australians, from every corner of this continent and all walks of life, who actually are entitled to get rebates for the health system. They just haven't collected them.

In South Australia alone, there's $19 million, just basically sitting in the government bank accounts for 73,800 South Australians who, all they have to do is because we don't have their current bank details, we can't just automatically send it to them. So, this is good news, but it's also a request. People should go to the myGov website or the myGov app, link up their Medicare card to their myGov account, and then make sure that the bank details are up to date. You will receive any outstanding money within three working days. That's all you've got to do. Like, if finding treasure was this easy, we'd all be treasure hunters.

But the reality is we've got a national treasure. It's called Medicare. It's there to help people defray the costs of their health system. And what we find is that there's $241 million which people legitimately can claim, just tell us your bank account details and then we will pay you. And you know, when you think about a million people and a quarter of $1 billion, that's not small change. For some people, I think the average that's owed is about $260, which is just great. But some people, there's thousands of people who are owed tens of thousands of dollars. So, my request, my plea, my invitation is, go online to myGov, download the myGov app, link up the Medicare card, make sure you've got your bank details up to date, and then if you're owed money, bang, in three days, it's in your account. This process will take you about ten minutes if you have to set up a myGov account and link it to Medicare. It's a lot quicker if you've already got your myGov app and Medicare linked. Just update your bank details. Anyway, that's good news and happy to take questions on this or any other matter.

JOURNALIST: How did this get uncovered in the first place?

SHORTEN: Well, it's always been a thing. I'm just not sure my predecessors always talked about it. I want the money which is the money of the Australian people to be in Australian people's bank accounts. So, it is possible, you know, you change banks, you can lose track of different things that you put in. You're not sure. So, I can understand how in busy lives and changing details, thinking about whether or not the government's got your current bank account details, it's probably not your number one issue. If you've got to, you know, feed the dog, get the kids to school, you know, go to work. But it's 241 million. We've been pushing this a bit to get money back to people. Since the end of last year, we have reunited $117 million with Australians who had outstanding payments, but literally, you don't have to go on a treasure hunt. Just go to myGov. It's your money. We just want to try and give it to you. Please just update your bank details.

JOURNALIST: It might be possible that scammers might jump on this and try.

SHORTEN: Oh yeah. One thing, listen, there's a lot of - you know, scammers are wicked, wicked people. Um, and you know, international scammers, terrible. Don't open a link. We won't be sending you a link to open. You go to myGov website, you download the myGov app. We won't be sending you a link to click and open. Do not click a link. You go to myGov website, and you go to the myGov app. Download that.

JOURNALIST: Is there a certain age group which is owed significantly more than others?

SHORTEN: Well, the Millennials. The Millennials, Gen Z. There is about 224,000 Gen Z-ers who are owed some money, so that's the biggest group. But what is interesting when you look at the age cohorts are there's children, so, through their parents, Gen Z is the biggest group, but it's right up to people in their 80s. So everywhere in Australia, there's 930,000 people who are owed money. And literally, it's not that hard to get. You've just got to sort of prioritize it for about ten minutes of your life. I'm not saying you might well be up to date with your Medicare payments, so that's good, that doesn't mean you get any more. But for 930,000 of our fellow citizens, it's just there. Like, it's like picking apples off a tree.

JOURNALIST: And this obviously isn't just in the last financial year. Has this been accruing over time?

SHORTEN: It accrues over time, yes. I mean, this year, last financial year, this nation of ours paid out $30 billion in Medicare payments, but there's a quarter of a billion which is ready to be paid, which hasn't been collected.

JOURNALIST: As you said, this keeps happening. Do processes perhaps need to be a bit more streamlined?

SHORTEN: Yeah, we do so - well, the good news is we're taking a lot of government services online so we can digitally notify a lot of people. Until we had the myGov app, once upon a time, you'd get, you know, myGov, "you have mail". And that was sort of almost like a nightmare for people because they'd have to try different systems. Very clunky. You'd have to go to the site. The myGov app is great. It's in the Google shop, just download it. So, we can notify people digitally. We've got 30 different campaigns on campuses to let students know, but I think this is something which we can more proactively push, which is why we're doing it today. We're doing it in Rebekha Sharkie's electorate. She has people in Mount Barker, 795 who are owed some money. They've just got to update their bank registration details.

JOURNALIST: It doesn't run out. Does the government going to hold on to these?

SHORTEN: Yeah, we're not spending it. No, there's no there's no due date where then it's garnisheed. It just builds up. But let's just get it out the door. Cost of living crisis. This is this is really good practical stuff, by the way. It's not inflationary. This is money which has already been accrued, banked, allocated. We just need to help people reunite with it.

JOURNALIST: On other matters if that's okay. Minister. Police are currently investigating the death of a woman in Port Augusta, apparently living with quite significant disability, but wasn't on the NDIS. She was just living in squalor. How can something, how does someone fall through the cracks like this? Or is the onus on the person with the disability to get onto the NDIS?

SHORTEN: First of all, this woman's passing is a tragedy. I understand she was about 26. It's just tragic. That's the first point I'd want to make. People with disabilities are vulnerable. It's a tragedy when someone dies. As I understand in 20 - I've only just heard about this matter - in 2017, there was an initial expression of interest to be on the scheme. Then documentation was sent back, and then nothing more was ever heard. South Australian police, you know, they're the professionals. We're going to let them investigate. Obviously, we want to see what the findings are. But I think this is an issue not just for government. You know, the great people here or, you know, a local member can't know what's going on behind the fence and behind the door in every house. But communities, we've all got to look after each other, look out for each other more. Um, and sometimes people with disabilities can be socially isolated, or they might just have a relationship, and if that breaks down, then no one cares. So, I think it is a tragedy and a disaster. And the challenge here, though, is how do we as a community make sure that if someone isn't seen for a while, what are we doing about it? So, I think this is not just one on government. This is one on all of us, to keep an eye out for each other.

JOURNALIST: When there is a request to NDIS and you don't hear back, are steps taken to follow up or is that it?

SHORTEN: I don't know what the system was in 2017. Yeah, we do follow up and we do go back to people. But at the end of the day, if someone doesn't want to persist with an application, you're not going to make them. It's not compulsory to be on the NDIS.

JOURNALIST: Do you think there needs to be more independent processes or safeguards for people to report concerns?

SHORTEN: I think the question really is, and I'll be interested in what the South Australian police say, from 2017, who knew about her circumstances? That's a pretty relevant question, isn't it? I don't expect every politician in Australia to know every one of 110,000 adults in their electorate, but one thing they have in some states are community visitor programs. There's a role also here for the state government. I know Nat Cook is a very conscientious Minister, though. I don't think there's a better Disability Minister in the country at the state level. But I think that we need to have a discussion with councils because councils often know where - I mean, maybe I don't know if anything could have been done to avoid this death. I don't know. But generally, your council bylaw officers often know where the dodgy houses are. They know what's happening. I think community visitor programs are very good, where you've got volunteers who want to just pop in and check in on people. I think the community generally needs to notice if your neighbours aren't around, or if they haven't seen them in a while. What we do though, of course when we get someone who seeks a plan, is we have red flags. So, if you get to sit down and you want your individual plan, we look at their social circumstances. Are they vulnerable where they might just have a carer as a relationship or just one person? o that's something we certainly take into account in the planning stage, but it's not compulsory to be on the NDIS.

JOURNALIST: Do you think this was an extreme case or do you are you concerned with how many others there might be out there like this?

SHORTEN: It's an extreme case, but I also am concerned, and it might be rare, but that doesn't make it acceptable. But let's let South Australian police see what they say and recommend will, of course. Watch the findings.

JOURNALIST: We just might move on to the whole Qantas saga at the moment and the whole flights. Peter Dutton now has admitted to taking flights from Gina Rinehart. Do you think MPs are going to be looking at their flight logs?

SHORTEN: First of all, let's go to the heart of the matter. The Prime Minister has done everything according to the rules that are in place. He's made that clear. He's also made clear that he didn't approach Alan Joyce for upgrades. That's the sort of - that's where this this debate started. Now, of course, it's cascading into the adequacy of reporting, you know, the role of upgrades. Just two observations. The Liberals have been holding themselves out to be pretty pure and pretty holier than thou, but then it turns out they've got problems.

This reminds me of when Malcolm Turnbull went on the attack, when he was an opposition leader, and there was a whistleblower who I believe was called Godwin Grech and said somehow Kevin Rudd had done something wrong on a used car scheme and it was just wrong. So, I think oppositions need to be very careful about playing the man and going after the Prime Minister because they, I think, have their own problems. They clearly don't live in a glass house.

But the other observation I want to make is this I think politicians work incredibly hard. I think they're very committed. They want to make a difference. I think the opposition fascination with airlines lets the big issue of cost of living off the hook. You know, I'm here today with Rebecca. We want to talk about, how do we get money, which people are owed, in their pockets so they've got a little bit more for Christmas. So, you know, I think the opposition's sort of made a meal of this. They've held themselves up to be saintly and they're not. And I think they're in danger of overreaching. And maybe they might even shoot themselves in the foot.

JOURNALIST: But do you do you think that the Prime Minister, by using terminology like he didn't call Alan Joyce, he could have cleared it up by clarifying it from the outset?

SHORTEN: Well, first of all, there's been a book written. Everyone got excited about that. Or at least Mr. Albanese's enemies did. He's cleared it up. We want to get on with talking about cost of living.

JOURNALIST: Sorry, one quick question. Do you recall working with a Professor Joanna Howe?

SHORTEN: Not in the Parliament, no. Way back when I was a union official, I don't really recall, but that would be 20 years ago.

JOURNALIST: This is a question from another network, but there was, she was championing an anti-abortion bill lately, and she's admitted to pressuring a politician to abandon a pair vote. Your thoughts on, you know, an academic trying to pressure MPs to vote a certain way?

SHORTEN: Listen, I've accused of being ambitious. I've been ambitious for the Australian people, but I've never been ambitious enough to run for the South Australian parliament. I think Peter Malinauskas is outstanding. I'm not really wanting to get into South Australia and the entrails of South Australian politics. I do make this point about a woman's right to choose nationally. I think Mr. Dutton needs to come out and be very clear that if he was ever elected Prime Minister, he wouldn't use federal powers to roll back the protections that women have to accessing our safe and healthy treatment.

JOURNALIST: Sorry, Minister, I just have to take you back to the flights. Can I ask, does Bridget McKenzie have anything to question for, any questions to answer? If she hasn't declared flights, should she be found in contempt of the Senate?

SHORTEN: Oh, man, the Senate. We have enough time in the Reps. I think the point here is that the Liberals got on their high horse, and they've been throwing a lot of mud, but I think what's ended up is they've ended up with most of it on their own face.

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