1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,599 Speaker 1: Right, let's go to Australia's Sea price is whether Stephen, 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: A very good morning to you. 3 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 2: Morning. Apologies. I'm on the way to the airport, so 4 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:07,680 Speaker 2: I'm in the car. 5 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: And nowhere is it all. I don't know if you've 6 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 1: seen the poll this morning in the Sydney Morning Herald, 7 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: but it is a shocker, a ten point two party 8 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: preferred gap and I'm assuming that must have that played out. 9 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:24,960 Speaker 1: Put Dutton in the driver's seat, wouldn't it. 10 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 2: It would and the polster resolved? Is that poll and 11 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 2: the interpretation of it is by the City by Herald reporter. 12 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:36,840 Speaker 2: As a reporter, that would mean that the election would 13 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 2: be later rather than sooner. But I just don't wear 14 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:43,280 Speaker 2: that because a number of things have happened across the 15 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 2: weekend and Friday that would indicate to me we're not 16 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 2: going to have a budget and we'll probably go to 17 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 2: the poles on April five or twelve. But Labor would 18 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 2: be looking at that pole. I'm thinking you might get 19 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 2: out of this problem. And maybe that's got something to 20 00:00:57,520 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 2: do with that announcement on the weekend where bulk Billding 21 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 2: is going to have another eight and a half billion 22 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 2: dollars thrown at it, and Peter Dutton immediately comes back 23 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 2: and says, oh, see your eight and a half and 24 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 2: top it up with nine billion. This is for folk billings, 25 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:14,400 Speaker 2: so you can go to the doctor for free, and 26 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:17,039 Speaker 2: everyone this morning saying well, hang on a minute, where's 27 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 2: the money coming from? 28 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: Ye, well that's not a bad question, Steve. Where is 29 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: the money coming from? 30 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:26,959 Speaker 2: Well you can only presume that once the election's won, 31 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 2: I buy either labor or the coalition. But at some 32 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:32,119 Speaker 2: point the Medicare levy's going to have to go up 33 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 2: because that's a huge amount of money. I mean, it's 34 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:38,319 Speaker 2: spread over between now and twenty thirty, won't kick in 35 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 2: until November this year, and Peter Dutton has said, well, 36 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 2: part of the way we're going to pay for it 37 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 2: is we're going to crack down hard on yours and 38 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 2: my favorite topic, the NDS, so that people can't be 39 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 2: claiming to go to strip joints to fix up their 40 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 2: mental health. So that might be one way to get 41 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 2: some of it back, but it's a huge dent in 42 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 2: what's already a budget that's going to definitely be in deficit. 43 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: Who actually in this bulk billing you refer to, we 44 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: have limited in this country, going to be a high 45 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: user and all that sort of stuff. Who with the 46 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: saying half nine billion dollars gets does basically everyone get 47 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: to go no matter who you are, how wealthy you are, 48 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: you get to. 49 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 2: Go free one hundred percent. And so you know what 50 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 2: they do is that there'll be a twelve and a 51 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 2: half percent addition to the GPS themselves to encourage them. 52 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 2: That'll be a fee that they will get back from 53 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 2: the government or from the taxpayers to encourage them to 54 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 2: be bulk billing doctors. But it is quite remarkable that 55 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 2: you can go along. I mean, your consultations are limited 56 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 2: in terms of time. You can basically go to the 57 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 2: doctor in this country for nothing. If you're a. 58 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: Millionaire, that's ridiculous. And further, it's well, what happens here 59 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: is they give them X number of dollars. But what 60 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: then happens? Does the doctors go, oh, I can't do 61 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: it for that amount of money, So we'll have to 62 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: put a surcharge on. All of a sudden, you're paying 63 00:02:58,520 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: sixty bucks to go to the doctor. 64 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, we call it the gap fee and the GPS. Indeed, 65 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:07,280 Speaker 2: yesterday said, look a good idea but most of us 66 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 2: still are not going to be able to make our 67 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 2: practice profitable on that level of money, and so we 68 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 2: probably won't do it, but a lot of them will 69 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 2: do it. And people will search out clinics that have 70 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:21,360 Speaker 2: got no gap free medical trip. 71 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: Well. These citizenships, so you go to the citizenship ceremony, 72 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: of which there seem to be a lot of them, 73 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 1: and one of the things they do at the citizenship 74 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 1: ceremony is go, hey, guys, one of the great things 75 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 1: about being an Australian is you can vote now. Is 76 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: I would say that's one of them? You know that's legit? 77 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 2: Or is it? So? 78 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: Is this a scandal or is this legit? 79 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 2: Its industrial sized vote ringing by labor. I can't put 80 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 2: it any more blunting. And they're trying to stack seats 81 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 2: in Western Sydney. You explained to me how at Homebush 82 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 2: Stadium last Friday, and it went on again on Saturday 83 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 2: and Sunday. You can put through six and a half 84 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 2: bouss and new citizens to Australia in three days and 85 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 2: it's going to be twelve and a half thousand before 86 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 2: the election. You have to have your passport, well, your 87 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 2: citizenship a week before you can actually vote in an election. 88 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 2: And Tony Burt turned up there. He never goes to 89 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 2: these things as the Home Affairs Minister. And up on 90 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 2: the big screen was the Australian Electric Commission giving advice 91 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 2: on how you can go and vote. I mean, it's 92 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 2: unbelievable and Labor seems to think they can just get 93 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 2: away with this and no one's going to be critical 94 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 2: of it. It is very clearly an attempt to win 95 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 2: seats of margins a hold by five percent or less 96 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 2: in Western Sydney. Nothing was surer than that. 97 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: When your plane takes off today, will you be able 98 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 1: to see the Chinese warships? 99 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 2: Well? If I would love to be coming to Auckland again, 100 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 2: because you know how much I loved it when I 101 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 2: was there ever summer. But no, I'm going west. I'm 102 00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:01,039 Speaker 2: going to my old hometown of Adelaide. They say we're overreacting. 103 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:04,840 Speaker 2: We do live firing in the South China Sea. They say, 104 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 2: settle down, We're not doing anything you don't do. I 105 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 2: think the only problem with that is I think they 106 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 2: didn't tell us very quickly that they're about to use 107 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 2: live ammunition. That's why those flights were diverted on Friday. 108 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 1: I know that Jim Chalmers the Treasure is heading to 109 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 1: Washington as we speak with as Tarifs does he stand. 110 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:24,359 Speaker 1: Do they believe they can twist Trump's arm or not? 111 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 2: It's more probably to be seen to be doing something 112 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:34,200 Speaker 2: rather than actually twisting his arm. I mean the ambassadors 113 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:38,840 Speaker 2: Kevin rud who consulted Donald Trump up and down all 114 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:41,160 Speaker 2: over the place for many years. So I don't know 115 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 2: that our relationships with Trump are great. They may be 116 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 2: okay with other Republicans, with the within the Trump administration, 117 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:49,919 Speaker 2: but I wouldn't be that hopeful. 118 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 1: All right, mate, fly well, talk to you Wednesday. Appreciate 119 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: it very much. See Price out of Australia on his 120 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:55,280 Speaker 1: way to the airports. 121 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 122 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,719 Speaker 2: news talks it'd be from c AM weekdays, or follow 123 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.