EVAN WALLACE HOST: Let's talk about what brought you to Launceston this afternoon. You've said from November that we improved access to affordable IUDs and birth control implants. Does that mean that the insertion and removal of IUDs will now be bulk billed?
REBECCA WHITE, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGED CARE: That's exactly right. So higher rebates will be provided for IUDs for both the insertion and removal. And we are hoping this will mean that there's either a reduced or complete removal of out-of-pocket costs for women. This could be a saving of up to $400. And the reason that we've pushed this through as part of the women's health reform is that we want women to have choice and we've heard that a lot of women would like to be able to choose an IUD but the cost is such a barrier. By removing this barrier, it gives women the option to choose this as an affordable contraceptive.
HOST: We know that in some situations, particularly after a woman gives birth, then it can be completely funded by the state health system. I'm guessing that this is looking at situations where people have an IUD outside of that situation. Increased rebates, but is the, I suppose, lack of the ability to guarantee a bulk billed approach there, is that because ultimately that sits at the discretion of doctors?
WHITE: The Medicare system has a whole range of item numbers and there's an item number for this particular device as well, but doctors have chosen in some cases to bulk bill, but there's a loss of income for them if they do that. This is about reimbursing doctors for their time, making sure they're appropriately remunerated, but also making sure the cost isn't passed through to patients. I had a chat to Family Planning today who do a significant bulk of the work in Tasmania when it comes to providing advice to women about their contraception choices. And they've told me that there's been a few conversations, and this would be true across a range of different doctor practices, with women where an IUD is definitely the best choice, but the cost has been a massive barrier. So we are very hopeful that on the 1 November, by increasing the rebate, more women will be able to choose this as a contraceptive choice and it's then allowing them to have a conversation with their doctor about what's best than thinking about what's in their bank balance, which is exactly what we don't want people to be focused on. We want them to get good healthcare based on what they need.
HOST: What does your modelling say, Rebecca White, about how many insertions and removals of IUDs will be bulk billed under this model? And we know that there was modelling that was done that looked at how many patients would be bulk billed as a result of the government's increase with the increased incentive to bulk billing for standard GP consultations. Have you done modelling on just what sort of uptick might occur when it comes to IUDs?
WHITE: This is an Australia-wide figure, so I don't have it broken down for Tasmania, but across the country, we predict about 300,000 women will benefit from this increase in the rebate. So again, as I said saving up to about $400 for those women and we know with some IUDs they can last up to eight years. This is a really good discussion for them to have with their doctor to make sure they have a choice about what their contraception options look like. And we're hopeful that hundreds of thousands of women across the country will benefit.
HOST: What else can Tassie women expect to change as a result of this package?
WHITE: We've already seen some changes and I'm happy to give an update on some of the figures. From the 1 May, we listed some more medicines on the PBS which is the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and that included contraception, it included some medicines for treating menopause, so some hormone therapies. And here in Tassie, we've had 14,000 women take advantage of that since the 1 May. They've had 34,000 scripts filled and they've saved $1.3 million, which is just so good because I know, again, a lot of women, particularly who might be going through perimenopause or menopause, are a bit reluctant to try different hormone therapies, sometimes because the cost is really prohibitive. By removing that barrier, it means women can have a conversation with their GP hopefully maybe try a few different options see what works best for them and not about being significantly out of pocket. This is great news for Tassie women.
HOST: You're listening to ABC Northern Tasmania Drive. I'm speaking with Federal Member for Lyons, Rebecca White. She's also the Assistant Health Minister. Rebecca White, it's been five months since the last election and your government's been very keen to spruik the implementation of its 5 per cent home loan guarantee for first home buyers. But analysts and the Reserve Bank Governor even Michele Bullock say it would likely drive-up house prices. How concerned are you that your government's actually heating up an already very hot housing market that we have here in Tassie?
WHITE: Well, I know from talking to people who are looking to get into the housing market, and also like Alan Kohler have talked about this policy being a very good outcome for people who are looking to get into the housing market for the first time. About 180,000 Australians have already taken advantage of the 5 per cent home deposits. What's changed from the 1 October this year is that the thresholds have lifted. So, the price of the house that you can now hopefully buy with a 5 per cent deposit is greater, but also the income thresholds have been relaxed because it was a barrier for a lot of people trying to access this scheme.
HOST: Are you concerned though Rebecca White that this is going to see an increase in house prices in Tasmania?
WHITE: The Treasury modelling that I've been made aware of doesn't indicate that that's likely. And we also know, it is initiatives like this that help people get into the market, we need to build more houses. The solution is always supply. And we're coming off a base where for a decade, only 373 affordable housing properties were built by the previous government. If my memory is accurate there, Evan. So we've got to build a lot more houses. Here in Tasmania, under the Housing Affordability Future Fund. We're building 1700 affordable homes for people to access. But we're also supporting people into home ownership for the first time, including 100,000 properties that are just for first-home buyers. So, they can be in a market where they're not competing with an investor or somebody who's bidding against them who's already got a house. These are purely for first-home buyers because we are mindful of the fact that they are going to be in a market that is already warm. I mean, no one is underestimating the fact that house prices are high if you're a first home buyer. That is where the 5 per cent deposit is really valuable. But also making sure we quarantine 100,000 homes for first home buyers is going to assist those people getting to the market for the first time.
HOST: Well, whether you're in St Helens, Perth, Westbury, Campbell Town, listeners are really concerned about house prices and how they might spiral again, particularly with interest rates being cut once more, being a likely prospect. Are you confident that your government has the right policies in place to keep the growth of house prices under control?
WHITE: We've got a significant suite of initiatives in housing and it's not just first home buyers or the work we're doing to build more homes for low income and affordable homes. It's about a $40 billion programme across the country and it's across all of the areas where people are in the housing market, whether they're renting or they're buying or they're in public social housing. I get it. It's hard. And I'm in Campbell Town as we speak, Evan, and this was an area where I joined with the Housing Minister before the last election, talking about Housing Australia Future Fund and how important that is to deliver more homes in this country, including here in Tassie, including here in Campbell Town, where there's been about 20 homes already built under that programme and now another 20 to 25 that'll be constructed. We're getting on with the job. We know that we need to build more homes and that that will help take pressure off prices because when you've got a problem with supply and that leads to increased prices, so you need to be able to build more so you take the pressure off families who are trying to get into the housing market for the first time. It's not an easy task. As I said, we're coming off a base where there simply weren't enough houses in the market. The previous Federal Government hadn't really invested in this space for a decade. It's only been since Labor's been re-elected in 2022 and again in 2025 that we've had certainty for our community housing providers and our state and territory governments to partner with us to build these houses that we need. And that's the only way we're going to solve this problem.
HOST: This is ABC Northern Tasmania Drive. I'm chatting with Federal Member for Lyons, Rebecca White. It is Carers Week and in the last census in your electorate there were more than 12,500 unpaid carers supporting people with a disability, health condition or old age. I know that a lot of those carers would benefit from an increase in the number of home care packages available. It's a message that we hear loud and clearly on ABC Northern Tasmania. I know that there are tens of thousands of more packages slated from November, but just how many more will make their way to Northern Tasmania?
WHITE: I don't have those numbers for you, unfortunately, Evan. Although, as you're right to point out, from the 1 of November, a significant number of new packages will be coming online. It's 83,000 across the country. In fact over the last month, we've started to release at the start of those so between now and the 1 November, 20,000 packages were released. And a further 63,000 will come on from the 1 November. That is across the country, but we will see a significant number of those provided here in Tassie. And that will make a difference for people who are currently waiting.
HOST: You must hear a lot, Rebecca White, from constituents as that being their major concern, that carers are at a real loss, not able to get the support or help they need. We hear of significant wait lists, of a backlog that's there for home care packages. Do you think when you look at them in the eyes and look at this package that you feel this will make that tangible difference for enough people who call Lyons home?
WHITE: We're doing everything we can, Evan. I know that it's never enough for people who are currently on the waiting list and they always want to be able to provide support and care to the person that they love and we want older people to age with dignity. This aged care reform package is 4.3 billion dollars that we're investing into supports for families and trying to provide more packages of care as you've mentioned to support people to access what they need so they can age with dignity and we're working very hard to support the workforce with the 15 per cent uplift in wages for a predominantly feminised workforce so that we can make sure we've got the carers there. The Australian Government will always fully fund the clinical care of aged care placements. It's the non-clinical care where there might be a co-contribution that I think some of your listeners might have been asking questions about too, but I want to just assure people that there are grandfathering arrangements for those who are currently on a package and for those who are coming into the system for the first time. There are concessions available, particularly if you're a pension card holder and there are always financial hardship provisions. I know that there's more that we can do and we're trying to do our very best and again working to reform the aged care system is a big task but it's because as we've got an older population and here in Tasmania, that's especially true. We want people to have the support they need so they can live with dignity in their own home as they age.
HOST: And while I still have you there, a couple of quick questions. How concerned are you that the LGH is going to go through another summer without proper air conditioning? Rebecca White?
WHITE: You can't see me, but I'm shaking my head, Evan, because this is an issue that has been raised repeatedly year after year now with the government, particularly by the nursing workforce about the conditions for patients and for staff. And it's just very frustrating to hear that there's going to be another hot summer for everybody in the LGH.
HOST: Anything at all that the Federal Government can do to help speed up the process or is this all the responsibility of the State Government?
WHITE: Well, the State Government is the hospital manager. They operate the hospitals. We provide about $750 million a year to the State Government to help run the hospital system here in Tasmania. And as part of the National Health Reform Agreement that is being negotiated at the moment, we've offered an extra $20 billion on top of what we provide right around the country to support states and territories to care for people in hospital. But you're right, it is ultimately up to the State Government to make sure they operate our hospitals and to prioritise the investment that they are well aware needs to occur, particularly when it comes to basic things like making sure the heating and cooling is appropriate for the temperature for the seasons that we face here in Tassie.
HOST: And finally, it's out of your electorate and out of your portfolio, but it will send ripples through all of Tasmania if one or two of our smelters collapse. Will you be asking your colleague, Industry Minister Tim Ayres, to step in and intervene when it comes to either Liberty Bell Bay or Bell Bay Aluminium?
WHITE: Well, I've been talking a lot to both Tim Ayres but also the Federal Member for Bass, Jess Teesdale, who are both working very closely with those companies to understand what's happening. It's concerning to hear that, particularly in the case of Bell Bay Aluminium, they've not been able to get a new power purchase agreement with Hydro, which is a state-owned energy company. I really, again, shake my head here because the Tasmanian Government, as the owner and the state, as taxpayers, we own our energy entities. And one of the reasons that we have these major industrials in our state is because of the ability to offer cheap energy so that they set up here in the first place. We should be able to strike a deal so that they've got the energy they need to be able to continue to operate, to continue to provide certainty for the workforce, and importantly, the northern economy. I can assure you and your listeners that Teesdale is working very closely with the industry minister, Tim Ayres, who is well aware of the details and the issues that these two companies are facing in Northern Tasmania. And we continue to work closely with the State Government too, because this isn't about politics. It's about making sure we can support these industries to continue to operate in northern Tassie.
HOST: Rebecca White, thanks so much for your time this afternoon and enjoy Campbell Town.
WHITE: Thank you. Thanks, Evan.
HOST: Rebecca White, she is your Federal Member for Lyons, talking about a range of issues there, from health to housing to the federal government women's health package and the expansion there. What do you make of what you just heard?