Press conference - Ley, McIntosh, Bragg & Kayal - Medicare Urgent Care Clinic for Green Valley

THE HON SUSSAN LEY MP
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY, SKILLS AND TRAINING
SHADOW MINISTER FOR SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR WOMEN
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR FARRER

MELISSA MCINTOSH MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR WESTERN SYDNEY
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR LINDSAY

SENATOR ANDREW BRAGG
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR HOME OWNERSHIP
SENATOR FOR NSW

SAM KAYAL
LIBERAL FOR WERRIWA

TRANSCRIPT

PRESS CONFERENCE

GREEN VALLEY, SYDNEY

Monday, 10 March 2025

Topics: Sam Kayal, our Liberal Candidate for Werriwa; Coalition will deliver an Urgent Care Clinic for Werriwa; Labor fail to deliver 500 promised domestic violence workers; Australian in a manufacturing recession; Federal Election; Ex-tropical cyclone Alfred; Insurance; PM jumps gun on Ukraine; Review into Airport Security; US tariffs;

E&OE……………………………………

SAM KAYAL, LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR WERRIWA:

Well, good morning. Welcome to Green Valley in Werriwa. I'm joined by our Deputy Leader, Sussan Ley. We've got Melissa McIntosh, Shadow Minister for Western Sydney, and Senator Andrew Bragg.

The Labor Party has taken Werriwa and the people of Werriwa for granted for a long period of time.

It is so hard and so expensive to see a doctor under a Labor Albanese Government, it's very important that we have an Urgent Care Clinic right here in Green Valley and surrounding areas, because it's so expensive to see a doctor.

From our point of view, cost of living is so important to address, and so today, I announce an Urgent Care Clinic will be delivered here in Green Valley and surrounding areas.

The Labor Party has taken us for granted, and only a Dutton Liberal Government will deliver an Urgent Care Clinic in Werriwa. Can I hand over to Melissa McIntosh to say a few words.

MELISSA MCINTOSH:

Thank you very much Sam. Sam is our Liberal Candidate for Werriwa, and he's doing a tremendous job here, fighting for his community and fighting for Western Sydney, and Sam's right the Albanese Labor Government has taken Western Sydney for granted. And worse than that, they just don't care.

Whether it's health and bulk billing rates which have gone through the floor under this government, or whether it's major infrastructure which has been cut, $2 billion in infrastructure cut across Western Sydney, and Sam's fighting hard for his community, which means that we're also investing in 15th Avenue, a major road investment to do with the airport.

So well done, Sam for fighting for your community. It's really great to be here today for this announcement.

ANDREW BRAGG:

Good morning, everyone. I've been to this seat of Werriwa about half dozen times in the last six months with Sam Kayal. He's a fantastic candidate. He's really plugged into this community, because he's part of this community. And one of the things I've noticed is that people here in Werriwa are going crazy about housing.

We can't get enough houses built because the infrastructure hasn't been provided by the Albanese Government, which is why we have a $5 billion infrastructure facility. Also younger people who are living here in Werriwa can't afford to buy a first house, and that's why we have a policy of allowing people to use their own money in superannuation to buy their first house. Because we understand how important the Australian dream is to the people of Werriwa.

And I now introduce our Deputy Leader, Sussan Ley.

SUSSAN LEY:

Well, many thanks, Senator Bragg, it's good to join you and Melissa McIntosh and most importantly, our Liberal Candidate for Werriwa, Sam Kayal, here at Green Valley, and to say thank you, Sam for your passionate advocacy for the people of Green Valley and the rest of south west Sydney, particularly when it comes to health.

You and I have just been talking to small business and community leaders and listening to the concerns about the cost of going to see a doctor features in so many conversations that you've had while you’ve door knock these communities. Everyone here knows that it's harder and more expensive to see a doctor than it's ever been before. In fact, you're right, Melissa, bulk billing has collapsed under this government from a high of 88 per cent when we're in government to a low of 77 per cent right now.

But it's just the cost, the out of pocket cost, and nothing is going to address that unless we have a Dutton led Government tackling this cost of living crisis, bringing inflation down, bringing interest rates down, turning around the weak economy that we see under Anthony Albanese, and actually backing in these communities for a brighter future.

That's what this announcement is about. And Sam, in delivering an Urgent Care Clinic for Green Valley, you are demonstrating how much you understand and care for this community. So well done. And keep up the great fight. We are all with you.

The country cannot afford another three years of Labor.

It is as simple as that.

These communities cannot afford another three years of Labor.

I want to mention another couple of things. Last Friday, just before International Women's Day, it was revealed that of the 500 promised case workers on the front line of domestic violence, we have fallen short by 102. So that means Mr. Albanese promise was an empty one. To think that these case workers stand on the frontline saving women, rescuing women at their most vulnerable, and the day before International Women's Day, this Prime Minister couldn't actually fess up that they were 102 case workers short across the country was disgraceful, and actually started to point the finger and blame the states and make excuses, shame on him.

Similarly, the National Accounts revealed that we are in a manufacturing recession. Triple the number of manufacturing insolvencies right now than when we were in government. And here in Western Sydney and South Western Sydney, this is manufacturing heartland. You just have to ask, ask Melissa McIntosh. Melissa and I have visited many manufacturing businesses out this way.

And we know that the cost of energy under this Albanese Government is making manufacturing almost impossible. It's just too hard. People are going broke. Businesses are going to the wall. Just think of that, three times the number of manufacturing insolvencies. So Mr. Albanese, you need to tear up that slogan, that made in Australia slogan, because it's actually not real and it's actually not working.

The third point I want to raise is about Free TAFE. Once again, this Albanese Government has been caught cooking the books with numbers. By saying that 600,000 people are benefiting from Free TAFE, they've overlooked something that our senators discovered at Senate Estimates and other questioning of the Department has revealed that sometimes these numbers are being counted once, twice, three times, four times, maybe. There's even a Tiktok video about a student traveling between two or three states, enrolling in multiple Free TAFE courses and having a bit of a road trip along the way.

Now I don't blame any students. I don't blame them at all, but I do blame the Albanese Government for pretending that its Free TAFE policy, $1.5 billion and a 13 per cent pass rate is actually answering the skills needs of Australians.

Happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST:

Okay you have got to forgive me, I just found out what this press conference is about a few minutes ago. I'm going to start with going to start with some of the details in the Urgent Care Clinic. How much is being committed? How many people will join? How many people will it see?

SUSSAN LEY:

Well, I'm glad you've raised that, because that is what this press conference is about. The costings will be released in due course, because obviously the location, the location and the arrangements need to be worked through, a tender process, consultation on the ground. But what we are committing to is an Urgent Care Clinic in Green Valley.

JOURNALIST:

I've got a question from Canberra, it's on flood insurance. Sussan the PM has suggested that insurers are ripping off Australians. Do you agree? Or do you think the government should do more to reduce the risk for insurers in flood prone areas?

SUSSAN LEY:

Well, on the matter of the Queensland floods, can I just say that our thoughts are with everyone in south east Queensland and northern New South Wales, who is affected by flood waters.

And I want to make this point for anyone who has lived through a flood, flood waters rise silently, and they are deadly, and you can assume, with a sunny sky that all is clear and it isn't. So please listen to the authorities. Please take care, and please know that while we even here far distant in south west Sydney, are thinking of you all today.

When it comes to insurance, it is important that insurers do the right thing. They have declared the right level of emergency, and that means they will prioritise applications from those flood affected areas. So, I'm not going to point the finger at any insurers and any claims right now, what I'm going to say is that everyone needs to come together, including the insurance agencies, to help the people who are affected by these floods.

JOURNALIST:

Do you think Peter Dutton was right to stick by his diary commitments and attend lunch with Justin Hemmes as people in his electorate were a bracing for tropical cyclone outbreak or a tropical cyclone outbreak, would you have done the same?

SUSSAN LEY:

Well I think this is a question from last week's lineup of questions, and I answered it then, as did several of my colleagues. And I made the point last week that on that day, Mr. Albanese was also in Sydney, and when I last spoke to Peter Dutton before the cyclone hit, he was well and truly in his community. That's where he is now. That's where his focus has been, and no one can ever question Peter Dutton’s commitment to his electorate of Dickon, to the people of Queensland, or to the nation more broadly.

Last week I also pointed out that Mr. Albanese was spreading around Budget fundraiser documents and advertising a fundraiser for the Budget. Well, fine, we now know there is going to be a Budget. But isn't it extraordinary that it took a cyclone hanging off our coast to actually force this Prime Minister to announce that there is now going to be a Budget. The pressure is on in that Budget to address the cost of living pain for every Australian.

JOURNALIST:

If you in government, would you reject the request from the UK or Europe to send Australian peacekeeping troops to Ukraine?

SUSSAN LEY:

Well, right now there isn't a peace to keep in Ukraine. And right now, we have said that Europe has a role to play here. We've made it clear that it's not appropriate to say that we will send those troops today, and the Prime Minister has jumped the gun, showing once again, his weakness when it comes to national security and defence. He's offering peacekeeping troops to Europe, but he's apparently he was unaware of a flotilla of Chinese warships circumnavigating our coast, and made excuses that sounded like they came from the Chinese Communist Party's talking points.

So, this Prime Minister needs to focus on what's happening at home and needs to stand up for national security in this country.

JOURNALIST:

A majority of voters don't think the Coalition is ready to govern. How do you change public opinion so close to an election?

SUSSAN LEY:

I’m not focused on polls. I'm not focused on the various opinion polls that are published seemingly every day. I'm only focused on one thing, and that is the work that we are doing as a team in the Coalition across Australia to demonstrate that we are ready to take on this awful, weak Albanese Government, and we will do that by showing what we would do to bring inflation down, to bring interest rates down, to get the supply of gas into the system so that the cost of energy for our amazing manufacturing industries can actually be sustainable and so much more.

JOURNALIST:

The Government's going to have to hand down a Budget in a couple of weeks’ time. Would you support measured cost of living and relief if it's handed down?

SUSSAN LEY:

Well let's see what this Budget actually does deliver. It seems to me the Prime Minister wasn't even taking it seriously just a few days ago when he refused to even commit that there would be a Budget. It is important that in coming back to Parliament and delivering a Budget, this Prime Minister demonstrates first that he understands the pain that Australians are experiencing right now, and that he has a plan to fix it.

So, I don't want to see political Budget. I want to see something that actually demonstrates that he cares, understands and has a plan to bring down inflation, bring down interest rates.

The economy is too weak under this Labor Government, and we know that we just can't afford another three years of Labor.

JOURNALIST:

As Deputy Liberal Leader, you obviously work very closely with Peter Dutton. The people have withdrawn their support for him as Prime Minister. Why don't you think people don’t like him?

SUSSAN LEY:

Well, I don't accept that. Peter Dutton is a strong leader who has demonstrated that he has the capacity, the capability and what it takes to lead this country, contrasted with weak Anthony Albanese, distracted priorities, all in the wrong direction, and this election is about who is best placed to lead this country out of the situation that it's in now, to bring down inflation at interest rates, to tackle this weak economy, to have the policies in place that back our manufacturers and small businesses. And I know every single day of the week that Peter Dutton is the right man for the job.

JOURNALIST:

Tony Burke was looking at a review of security at regional airports. Is this good enough after what we saw Avalon last Friday?

SUSSAN LEY:

Well, can I just say thank goodness for Barry Clark, a shearer from Western New South Wales, dispensing some rough justice from the shearing sheds, and thankfully in the right place at the right time, he's close to my homeland. So good on you, Barry.

But we can't, unfortunately, rely on Barry in a situation like this in the future.

So, it is appropriate that the Review be conducted. We see what it says, and we take any necessary action.

JOURNALIST:

It looks like the government is not going to get an exemption from Trump's tariffs. Do you seriously argue that the Coalition will get an exemption if you take power and things like Trump is intent on putting these through without any exemptions for any countries?

SUSSAN LEY:

Well, this is deeply, deeply concerning. When we were in government, we secured that exemption. The expectation is that this Prime Minister should do the same.

JOURNALIST:

You mentioned insurance earlier in the need for companies to come together. These payments and discussions with companies could go on for months, even after the election, if what you see from the insurance companies isn't satisfactory to your level if you don't think they're acting fast enough, if the shoes aren't getting treated? Would a Coalition Government pursue divestiture power for insurance companies, and would you look to break them up if they're not satisfied with their behaviour when it comes to this flooding?

SUSSAN LEY:

Well, two points to make, one is that we do not propose divestiture with respect to insurance companies, and we've made that clear. But more importantly, this is about the response of the insurance industry to the current floods, and we're right in the middle of the crisis now. So now is not the time to present a series of hypotheticals about what insurance companies may or may not do in response to claims that are made with the floods that are right now threatening so much of south east Queensland and northern New South Wales. So, let's take it one step at a time.

But I always say, in a crisis, in a natural disaster, when insurance companies have a role, we will watch them closely. We will make sure they do the right thing.

JOURNALIST:

I’ll just clarify there. On the 16th of February, Peter Dutton said that you would be pursuing divestiture powers I know Angus Taylor walked that back last week. Are you saying that's completely off the table now for insurance?

SUSSAN LEY:

Well, I've answered that question, and I don't believe those two statements were inconsistent. Thank you.

JOURNALIST:

So, no divestiture for insurance.

SUSSAN LEY:

I have just confirmed the current the current divestiture proposal that we have made does not include insurance. It includes supermarkets, and that was the main focus.

JOURNALIST:

And you won't be pursuing that after the election?

SUSSAN LEY:

Well, you're asking me for another hypothetical question, what we might be doing in the future, I'm giving you an answer about what we've stated about what we've proposed right now.

JOURNALIST:

With respect, I'm just asking the policy, the policy is no divestiture of insurance. Is that right?

SUSSAN LEY:

The policy that we've proposed is about supermarkets.

Thank you.

[ENDS]