TRANSCRIPT: SOUNDS OF THE MOUNTAINS WITH DAVID EISENHAUER, 1 February 2024

SUBJECTS: Regional Health, Booing the PM, Highspeed Rail & Inland Rail.

E&OE

STARTS: 8.39am

DAVID EISENHAUER

Member for Riverina Michael McCormack joins us on the line — Michael, a very good morning to you.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Good morning to you too, David. Did you just say that was Robert Palmer?

DAVID EISENHAUER:

Robert Palmer.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Yeah, he died, he was only in his early fifties, poor chap, and died of a heart attack. And I know that when Shane Warne passed away, also at a very early age, the number of men, particularly, who went out and got those tests, those necessary tests and that's a reminder to us all to make sure that we keep up those self-appointments and I know COVID took a toll on all of that. It was difficult to see a GP and was difficult to actually get outdoors. But again, men, particularly, they don't take care of their health as they should. And it's a healthy reminder that if you think your heart is under a bit of stress, go get it checked out. I know Gerard Carroll in Wagga, the cardiologist there, does a great job and so do doctors right across the region and we thank them for it.

DAVID EISENHAUER

Isn’t that the truth. I'm one of those people that delayed it and delayed it and then one day it was like, something's not quite right here, went to the doctor and he said “lucky you came in today” and you don't want to leave it to that point.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Now, arteries do have a habit of hardening and sometimes it's the diet, sometimes it's hereditary, sometimes it's just sheer bad luck, but the lifestyle we might particularly lead. But get checked out, early prevention will make you lead a longer life, a healthier life.

DAVID EISENHAUER

My word and it would be nice to think the Government might focus a bit more on the regionals, Michael; we talk on health issues and making news at the moment, doctors and bulk-billing comes up again and health matters that we were discussing recently, but there seems to be a fairly city-centric focus on it.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Oh no, no, it's ok, because Mark Butler said if you can't get bulk-billed, just ring around and get the next available appointment from the next bulk-billing doctor. And that's all well and good because he lives in Adelaide and that might be possible in Adelaide, but tell you what, if you're in the Upper Murray or Tumut or Gundagai or somewhere like that, or indeed anywhere in regional Australia, it's not that easy to just ring up and get the next available doctor. And our doctors do a wonderful job, but Mark Butler, he is all at sea when it comes to understanding or knowing about regional Australia, because he was the one who, of course, brought in those new 60-day dispensing, double dispensing rules for the pharmacist, which has made it so much more difficult for them. In many rural areas, hundreds in fact, hundreds of towns across Australia, the chemist is the only frontline health professional in town. They actually don't have doctors, but he's taken a whack at the pharmacist. Now he's just saying to patients “well just go ring up the next doctor”. It's not that easy out here. It's, you know, you're lucky to get a doctor. I know when I was Deputy Prime Minister I put in place the Murray-Darling Medical School Network, which is training doctors from start to finish and the wonderful new complex will be open in Wagga Wagga this year, but that's a while away. And while we've got the second or third cohort in some areas going through there, it's a seven-year training regime, studying regime, from start to finish and at the end that will create doctors for the bush. But that’s a while away.

DAVID EISENHAUER

It’s a long time, seven years.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, we want our doctors to be the best they can be. I mean, I know if you're a vet, they do even longer and mind you, their patients don't talk back to them and tell them where the pain actually is. So they've got almost, you could argue, a more difficult job. But our doctors do a wonderful job as do our chemists. We're lucky to have them, we're lucky to ensure that, you know, we have got good health services across Australia and indeed it's the best health system in the world. And if you don't believe me, go overseas and get crook and you'll soon find out. But our Health Minister needs to be a little bit more aware of the situation in regional Australia before he opens his mouth next time.

DAVID EISENHAUER

In a big way particularly, just come out and visit the regions, come and have a look around, talk to people like Luke Peacock for one example.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Welcome, welcome in the Riverina any time, he is.

DAVID EISENHAUER:

Yep, my word.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I'll show him around.

DAVID EISENHAUER:

Yes, meet some locals — on the ground. By the way too, Michael McCormack, happy Australia Day to you. What a big event that was on the 26th of January?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Look, it was and I went to the Wagga Wagga Citizen of the Year the previous night and that was fantastic. They always hold it on the 25th of January, so that wasn't a slight on the actual 26th date, but went to Grenfell and then Forbes on the actual day and that was fantastic. And right across the region we celebrate Australia Day, all the great things that there is about being Australian. And of course, we honoured many of those people who go above and beyond; volunteers who do so much for our community. And interesting to see that melanoma was very much in the news; Annette St Clair here at Wagga Wagga, Citizen of the Year, her daughter Amie died way, way too young in her early 20s and she's been recognised for having the foundation in her daughter's memory. And that's been fantastic, it has raised money and more importantly, perhaps, awareness over the years. And of course, our national award winners have also shone a light on that very important topic. And again, it gets back to, if people do have moles or bumps or lumps that they think need to be checked out, go and get it checked out and make that appointment today.

DAVID EISENHAUER

It's a such an easy test and at the end of that day, it can save your life. That's as simple as it gets.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Early detection is vital, particularly with melanoma. It's absolutely vital. Can’t stress that enough.

DAVID EISENHAUER

Very true. Michael, I’m looking around the region here at all the wonderful local producers we’ve got. I mean, you've got a real passion for the agriculture community, it's part of the shadow portfolio as well, with our exports. We’ve got some wonderful local producers, what a good New Year’s resolution — we talk Australia Day in the New Year, supporting our small producers that have taken that little step further, they might have a few cattle in the paddock, a couple of sheep and the shearing shed and all the usual operations, but then they branch out into these, these little markets and they produce products that you can get a different shops like Local at Learmont’s and places like that around the region. Isn't it wonderful to see that increasing as time goes on? You look at Gilmore Valley, look at all the different producers right across the whole region, from, I remember my old schoolteacher, Dennis Lambert, one of the first to do this; he's got the macadamias there…

MICHAEL McCORMACK

He would have had a tough job — teaching you!

DAVID EISENHAUER

Well, he actually wasn't very long. I got a new teacher after he soon started.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I've put you off there, sorry, yes!

DAVID EISENHAUER

That was a reflection of what I was like. You ask Mr Buckley or Miss Alt, those sort of people.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Oh I know, they’re still recovering and this is many decades on, but please continue.

DAVID EISENHAUER

But, I think this is a wonderful thing to see and they face their challenges, I mean they're all going on the weather, but getting support, these local producers, a New Year's resolution — I reckon it's a terrific thing. It's real, fresh, it's just wonderful stuff.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Australian farmers are the best in the world, make no mistake, and we should be thanking them three times a day, every day. That's when we tuck our knees under the table to eat our meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was breakfast, dinner and tea when I was a kid, but anyway we've changed the lingo as we go along. But indeed, we should be thanking our cockys. They do a wonderful job. That's why I was so against the changes to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan with taking more productive water out of the system. We need more water into the system not less and that's why I fought so hard to build more water infrastructure when I was the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, because it's so important that we store that water, we store it for the drier times, which we know will happen, we're a country of droughts and flooding rains and we need to make sure that we keep the production up, not just for ourselves, but also for, as you quite correctly mentioned, our exports.

DAVID EISENHAUER

In a big way. But then as you’re saying that, right back into these little local exporters that are coming from town to town, just a small travel, but that all adds to a cost…

MICHAEL McCORMACK

They do a great job.

DAVID EISENHAUER

 … whether they're at the local markets, wherever it might be. I think our, as you said, our farmers, our Australian farmers, are the best in the world without a doubt. Michael, what’s going on, we're booing the PM at a tennis match in Labor heartland — what's going on there?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I think a lot of people are very upset about the fact that the stage three tax cuts — there’s been a betrayal there and Government said they were going to support, prior to the election, what the Liberal and Nationals’ Coalition had put forward, has been legislated; they said they were going to do it. They haven't. They're not. They’re changing it and people don't like that betrayal. They do not. That said, I don't believe that prime ministers should be booed at Australian sporting events.

DAVID EISENHAUER

No.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Anthony Albanese said it was a bit of a tradition. He’s probably right in that regard, but it's not right. I know that they cheer the Victorian Governor, well quite frankly, most people probably wouldn't know who the Victorian Governor was. But, the Prime Minister of the day, the office deserves respect. The person has become the Prime Minister for democratic reasons and we choose our Governments. We don't lose people at ballot boxes, ballot booths, through violence or anything else. We're very lucky we actually have this process. It's a democratic process and Anthony Albanese is the Prime Minister — he should be respected for that. I don't like the booing at tennis or cricket or anywhere else. I don’t think the Prime Minister deserves that. I've never met a Prime Minister who hasn't had the best interests of the nation at heart. They've all been good people, you don’t become the Prime Minister of the country unless you're inherently a pretty decent human being. And, ultimately, we disagree on policy and I do disagree with Anthony Albanese vehemently on policy. I know him well. You know, he and I have always got along. He did some good things in cahoots with me, in conjunction with me, when I was the Infrastructure Minister and put the nation first and foremost — and that's a good thing. And like I say, the PM deserves that respect, he shouldn’t be booed at the tennis.

DAVID EISENHAUER

He's got an interesting project under way at the moment, $80 million going to a business study for a high-speed rail network between Sydney and Newcastle. Are there not other issues in other rail networks across the region? For example, we continue to talk whenever we talk about Inland Rail.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, Andrew Hyles, the head of the High Speed Rail Authority, has said it's anywhere up to $200 million, I’d even argue higher. And, typically with Labor, they'll talk up a big game and they probably won't have to do anything about it. It’s like all the infrastructure delays that Anthony Albanese and Catherine King put in last year. I do believe that's led to a deterioration of the roads — they put in place a 90-day review, it ended up more than 200 days, and this set back so many projects. It did. And many workers on those projects just left and went and did something else; and you lose that expertise, you don't get it back. And, you know, I am critical about the Government — I don't believe the PM should get booed at the tennis or anywhere else, but I am critical of this Government because they said they were going to do one thing prior to the election and they've done completely the other on the other side of the election. It’s simply not good enough.

DAVID EISENHAUER

That’ll reflect itself when it comes to election time.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, let's hope so. But the thing, too, is I do worry about the rise of the Teals. I mean, they are Greens with trust funds. They'll say they're independent, but they're not independent. They are a party. They have their own talking points, they have their own lines, they have the same colours. They are a party by any other name and they'll often vote on procedural motions with one side of the Parliament and then on Labor legislation, with Labor generally, on the other just to make it look as though their voting patterns are sort of 55:45 with the Government but they're not independent. They are very much a team, very much a party and don't be fooled by that, because at the end of the day they'll never be around the ministerial table making the decisions, the important decisions, that affect all Australians. They’ll just be from the bleachers throwing rocks at the tent. That's what independents do, unfortunately, they are just complaint desks. They do not actually, ever, determine policy, they’re never around the expenditure review table actually determining revenue or those sorts of things. And that's why and I don't usually get political on your show — but you led me into it, that's why I think the Coalition is the best alternative at the next election. But look, you know, again, people will all get a vote and it will be a democratic process ...

8.52am

*** INAUDIBLE DUE TO TCHNICAL ISSUE (43 seconds)***

…. first budget surplus in quite a while, was only on the back of Josh Frydenberg's hard work and only on the back of what Jim Chalmers described in his first budget speech as “the things we sell overseas”. Well, he couldn't bring himself to say it's coal, it’s iron ore, it's agriculture, couldn't actually reach in his heart of hearts and actually utter those words about coal and iron ore. But the record prices that we were getting for that, that was the reason for the budget; and the work that Josh Frydenberg as Treasurer put in place prior to the May ‘22 election. The great tragedy and travesty I think at that election was Josh losing his spot — again it’s democracy; and I speak to Josh most days. I still maintain a very close and good friendship with him and I do hope that he gets back into politics and takes part in the national discourse. But at the moment, Labor's in power, at the moment I believe they're not doing a very good job, but we need to keep them accountable and we'll do that every day. We will make sure that they are accountable for the cost-of-living crisis that we have, because there are ways and means that they can do to help reduce the price at the petrol bowser, to reduce the price at supermarket checkouts and help ease that pressure on the household budget.

DAVID EISENHAUER

And hopefully get, as we mentioned, for our wonderful Australian farmers a few more dollars in their pockets with the amount of investment they put into the production of it.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, the other thing too, our corporate people can do a hell of a lot more than they are doing. And I can tell you now — with NAB having closed their Temora and Gundagai branches — it is a disgrace. And while we've got these chief executives being paid a hell of a lot of money, they turn around and they want to close country branches. We've got Woolies telling us what should happen on Australia Day and what shouldn't happen. We've got Qantas painting big yeses all over their plane when we had a referendum and tried to sway people's votes. Just do what you're supposed to be doing. And I appreciate that, you know, I rang up the NRMA to pay a bill the other day and spoke to somebody in South Africa. I was on one of the banking calls on one of their call centres and I was in the Philippines — and that was just yesterday. This isn't good enough. Now, people might say, “oh yes, well you were in Government for 10 years, what did you do about it?”, but this is corporate Australia also making its decision and they're putting shareholders above communities; and it has been happening for many, many years. But I think people have had a gutful of it and they're sick and tired of being told what to do, how to vote, whenever these sorts of issues come before the social conscience. They just want, when they go to do their banking, to be able to walk into a branch in their hometown. They just want to be able to, when they pick up the phone to make a call about an issue, they want to be talking to somebody in Australia — and it's not happening. And it's becoming more and more prevalent that these corporations are taking Australia for granted.

DAVID EISENHAUER

What's the chances of saving those two branches?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I'll be certainly saying and doing something today about it. But you know, we've got that Senate Inquiry into Rural Banking. You'd think that whilst that was being held that they'd just ease off, but no, no, no. They’ll still get their multibillion-dollar profits and, you know, it's at the expense of people who have backed those banks for decades. Backed those banks by supporting them, by investing in them, by taking out housing loans, etcetera — and that that's the reward they get. They get their bank shutting up and leaving town and putting in place a hotline where you can ring up and, who knows, speak to somebody on the other side of the world and hopefully they'll be able to understand what you're saying.

DAVID EISENHAUER

Michael, great to catch up and talk. It’s nearly news time, thank you.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

All the best and go and get your heart checked out, listeners! That's what I'm — that's the message for today if nothing else. Shane Warne and Robert Palmer would suggest, they're upstairs no doubt singing and playing cricket, and no doubt they’d be suggesting that to people to exactly do that. Go and get your heart health tested and if you've got a mole or three, make sure you get those looked at too. All the best.

DAVID EISENHAUER

Absolutely. Appreciate you taking time to chat to us every second Thursday, Michael all the best with the day ahead.

ENDS: 8.58am