MATT DORAN, HOST: From today, the Federal Government's tripling the bulk billing incentive for GP's when they treat children under the age of 16, pensioners and other Commonwealth concession card holders. The boost was announced in the Federal Government's budget earlier this year. Joining us live from Darwin is the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians and Indigenous Health, Malarndirri McCarthy. Very good afternoon to you, Senator. Appreciate you making the time for us. These bulk billing changes, can you explain how they will actually work?
SENATOR MALARNDIRRI MCCARTHY: Well, it's incredibly significant. It's something that we're very proud of working alongside of Mark Butler as our Health Minister, that we knew that coming into government that we had to make changes in the health sector, Matt, in particular around Medicare, given the numerous cuts over the last decade. So this incredible investment that was announced in May this year is now coming into fruition today, as we said it would on the 1st of November. So that families, whether you're in Brisbane or whether you're in the Northern Territory in remote and regional areas, bulk billing will change for the better and increase in terms of GP's.
DORAN: Is it going to ease some of the pressure on the system though? We hear from many doctors, particularly those represented by the AMA, that chronic underfunding is still a problem there. Is it actually going to benefit the system as a whole?
MCCARTHY: Well, there's probably two parts to that, Matt. One is that the chronic underfunding we know and saw as we came in because the previous government had cut so many areas in health. So we moved quickly to ensure that the urgent care clinics were established. We have 35 already. We're well on the way to making sure there are more across the country to ease the pressure on our hospitals and emergency services areas. So this aspect of of Medicare has been an important investment as well, so that we could see the bulk billing come back. In the previous government, it was decreasing the amount of bulk billing that was occurring across the country. So this investment has been quite critical.
DORAN: I know that the Opposition is already casting doubt on whether this will help the situation and they've said that there are very few indicators as to how you'll measure the success or the increase in bulk billing as a result of this. How would you respond to that?
MCCARTHY: Well, we have to see a lot of these things take place. Bulk billing is one of it. I also work with the First Nations medical sector. We know that the Aboriginal community health sector is trying to look at areas to decrease a lot of the chronic disease. So it's not just about investment in Medicare. We are investing right across the board. We're so conscious that these issues that impact Australians, vulnerable Australians, in particular First Nations areas like rheumatic heart disease, for example, the high rates of kidney disease across our country. We're also rolling out renal dialysis chairs across 30 areas in Australia. So we have moved quite quickly in this first 18 months.
DORAN: I want to take you to another story that's making headlines today, and it's quite a sickening set of circumstances, the shocking situation that six women have been killed across Australia in the past ten days, five of them allegedly the victims of violence inflicted by men. When you see those sort of statistics, what's your what's your initial reaction?
MCCARTHY: Well, we see them here in the Northern Territory, Matt. It's devastating. We've got a current inquiry that's underway here in the Northern Territory looking at domestic violence, and into the deaths of four women in particular. Clearly, we are investing at a national level and we know that that is the largest amount of investment in the area of family and domestic violence. We've looked at pieces of legislation to try and enhance the support by giving people domestic and family violence leave. But we also know that it's the frontline workers that need that support. I know that in the last 12 months, we've also been able to establish the national plan against family and domestic violence and in particular with First Nations women. We see that First Nations women are six times more likely to experience violence. So we are trying to reach out on every level, but there's more work to be done.
DORAN: You've pointed there to the investment that the federal government's making. But six deaths in ten days, 58 women allegedly killed this year alone right across the country. Does that suggest that the funding isn't going far enough to tackling this crisis?
MCCARTHY: Well, it certainly shows that we've got a real problem, Matt. Clearly, there is more money that's going into that space, but there has to be other elements as well. There has to be more work just done with families on the ground. I know that just here in the Northern Territory, we've got the Alice Springs women's shelter who are trying to do the best that they can. We've got the Tangentyere family and women's group in Alice Springs. We've got the Darwin Aboriginal and Islander Women's Shelter up here. We have to keep working with them and supporting them. But there are other issues too, I think, Matt, like, for example, you know, economic independence, so women can leave financially, situations that are difficult. So we've been looking at that as well. So we have to keep working on it. But no, it's not good enough that women are dying at all.
DORAN: In your neck of the woods up there in the Top End. You know, that would have seen the reports earlier this week from the ABC's Four Corners about the use of private security to police the streets in up in Darwin. First of all, is that an appropriate use of taxpayer funds to be hiring private security guards to be effectively doing the work of the Northern Territory Police?
MCCARTHY: Matt, I just want to point out with that report, and I'm doing this because I know that a lot of family members will also be watching your program. But that was my uncle that was killed in the Kirby's Bar, that was on the Four Corners program. And a lot of us had not seen the raw footage, if you like, of what actually occurred that night. So it is incredibly distressing. And I know and if I can say this to family members who are watching and those friends who are certainly involved at the time, that was deeply distressing to see. So I think it's important that there is also responsibility around, well, what was the outcome of having security guards in place. That occurred ten years ago when my uncle was killed there. What we're looking at now, I would say, you know, the Northern Territory Government is completely focused on what it has to do here, but what we're doing at a federal level, is take Alice Springs, for example. When we had the issues in Alice Springs earlier this year, we worked with the Lhere Artepe native title groups who now have ranges across Alice Springs. Foot patrol, First Nations people who work with the businesses of Alice Springs. You know, it's still a work in progress, but we've been able to achieve a lot there. I think with the Four Corners program focusing on Darwin, we haven't seen what the Larrakia Nation people are doing, they do a tremendous job here. Working with day and night patrols with families who are either homeless or who've come in for visits and not been able to get back home. So they work with them. And I think there should be certainly an opportunity for the Larrakia Nation to be able to speak on this subject as well.