JOSH WILSON, MEMBER FOR FREMANTLE: Good afternoon, everyone. It's great to be here at the Lagoon Medical Centre in Beeliar in the City of Cockburn in my electorate of Fremantle with the Prime Minister, to confirm that this will be the fourth urgent care clinic to be established in Western Australia. I pay tribute to Billy and all the people here at Lagoon for putting their hand up and deciding to become an urgent care clinic. It's a perfect place for it, the City of Cockburn is the fastest growing part of my electorate, and it's one of the fastest growing Local Government Areas in Australia. What it will mean is that people can get after hours and weekend care just by arriving with their Medicare card, fully bulk-billed care for all those things that you can't wait to see a GP but aren't serious enough to require emergency department attention. It will mean we take the pressure off Fiona Stanley, we know that 40 per cent of the presentations of Fiona Stanley cover exactly these kinds of things. And this work to strengthen Australia's public health system goes hand in hand with a number of things the Albanese government has done since the start of the year, delivering cheaper medicines, tripling the bulk-billing incentive. That work has been led by Minister Mark Butler, but it has been a lifelong focus of the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, thanks very much, Josh, and it's great to be back in Western Australia once again, here in Cockburn for this announcement, one of the urgent care clinics that we're opening around the country. We promised 50, we will deliver 58. There are already three open up and running here in WA, one in Perth city, one in Rockingham that I opened a little while ago, and one in Joondalup. And this year will join other urgent care clinics in places like Bunbury and others in Perth providing services to take pressure off particularly our public hospital system. Urgent care clinics are designed to be a mid-tier. So that people if they have a broken arm, if they have a cut, if they need that urgent care that can't wait, but it's not life threatening, they don't clog up an emergency centre, in a hospital. What they do is come in here and get the care that they need when they need it, how they need it, which is for free. They just need their Medicare card, not their credit card. Now already some 42,000 presentations have occurred at Medicare urgent care clinics around the country include 5 200 here in WA, those three clinics that I mentioned earlier on. This clinic will be open to see patients next month, and as we saw this morning, it won't just have doctors and nurses and health professionals, it will have radiography, ultrasound, CAT scan facilities so that diagnosis can take place and then the care can be delivered in a timely way. This is a part of our commitment to strengthen Medicare, making it easy to see a doctor and get the healthcare that Australians need. Now on the first of November, you'll see the largest investment in bulk-billing in the 40 year history of Medicare, when we triple the bulk billing incentive. And that stands in stark contrast to when Peter Dutton was the Health Minister ten years ago, where he froze the Medicare rebate and helped to lead to a massive decline in the bulk-billing rates right around Australia. We see Medicare as being at the centre of our health care system. And that bulk-billing incentive increase, which was the centrepiece of our budget in May, is just one of the measures we're taking. In addition to that we have our cheaper pharmaceuticals. We have cheaper medicines for the first time. The PBS decreased from $42.50 down to $30. The first time since it was introduced by the Labor government way back in the 1940s that there's been a reduction in the PBS, making an enormous difference. And already some massive number of citizens have already benefited from that. In addition to that, of course, we now have the extension from 30 days to 60 days for people to get essential medicines that they need. They may have a heart condition, if they need regular pharmaceuticals. That cuts out not just the visits to the pharmacy but cuts out the visits to the doctor and of course literally cuts in half the cost of obtaining those regular medicines and making an enormous difference to cost of living, whilst also providing better healthcare. This is absolutely critical, all of these measures that we have. Western Australians have already saved more than $18 million on cheaper medicines since the change that we introduced in January this year. So this rollout is an extraordinary benefit. To hear that already, the presentations here in WA, estimated here and in other states to have saved more than $11 million in patient episodes, by taking people out of those emergency departments, giving them the care that they need. And being located in a centre like this that has a history of being able to deliver for patients, but that upgraded facility will make an enormous difference. And it's a pleasure to be back here today. Happy to take some questions. But before I do, I do want to make just one comment, which is I spoke at the Nurses Federation conference earlier this morning in Sydney and made some comments there. But here too, it's appropriate in WA and we acknowledge that this is the 21st anniversary of the Bali Bombings. Western Australians were among the victims of those Bali Bombings. We know that so many Western Australians holiday in Bali. Sixteen West Australians lost their lives on that fateful night and many more were injured. The memorial in Kings Park in Perth today commemorated not only those that we've lost, but also paid tribute to the volunteers and the health professionals who assisted people at that time. That was an extraordinarily difficult time for all Australians. People lost their lives in that terrorist attack and it has an ongoing impact. So today's the day as well, to express our condolences to the family and friends of the victims of that bombing.
JOURNALIST: There's a 16 year old Aboriginal boy in critical condition after trying to take their own life in a WA youth detention centre last night. What does that say about the state of youth detention in WA and the need for a Voice?
PRIME MINISTER: What it says is that we need to do better. We know tragically that if you're Indigenous, you're twice as likely to take your own life. You have an eight year life expectancy gap. You're more likely to go to jail than to go to university. And you are far more likely as well to be subject to juvenile detention. I know that the Cook Government have indicated that the facilities that are there are simply not good enough and they're working on that. But a Voice is needed to listen to Indigenous communities about matters that affect them. We can't just keep doing the same thing in the same way and expect different outcomes. And that's why the opportunity to be listened to is a request of Indigenous Australians from the National Constitutional Convention that they held in 2017, after literally hundreds of meetings involving thousands of people, coming together with 250 delegates at Uluru to ask for two things: to ask for recognition in the Constitution and through the form of a Voice, which is simply an advisory group that is non-binding, but will allow Indigenous Australians to be heard by Parliament and Government and to be listened to because we know if we listen to people who are directly affected by an issue, you will get better outcomes.
JOURNALIST: Are the Qantas flights you are sending to Israel safe? We just had a British Airways flight turn around because of rockets in the air by the time it was about to land in Tel Aviv.
PRIME MINISTER: We of course, will make those assessments on an ongoing basis. We're looking at the security issues. We're having daily briefings. I can confirm that we will now have organised, because of demand, for a third flight to be offered by Qantas. I thank them for it. We will, of course, monitor safety and ensure that we are keeping our eye on what is a very volatile situation and volatile region.
JOURNALIST: Should the defence force be sent in like you did in Sudan?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I spoke with the Chief of the Defence Force yesterday. We are continuing to monitor all of the issues. We're acting appropriately, receiving briefings and we will respond to the appropriate national security advice that we receive. The advice up to date has been that some commercial flights were still flying in and out of Tel Aviv, the airport where it's envisaged we will have flights from Ben Gurion Airport. But we will continue, obviously, to take advice. The first flight is scheduled to leave and fly to London tomorrow. And we think it is important that Australian citizens are able to come home to Australia who choose to do so. Qantas as they always have, have responded very positively to the request that was made. But of course, we will examine the safety issues as well.
JOURNALIST: Back on the Voice, the state Opposition says that the Yes vote was doomed when the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act failed locally. Do you agree with that?
PRIME MINISTER: I agree that Australians can vote Yes on Saturday. And I hope that they do in a majority of states and in the majority across the nation. This is an opportunity, it's a once in a generation opportunity, to acknowledge that we need to do better. And I know that there are people who have chosen the road of partisanship during this debate. This is something that has been developed, a majority of which was developed under the former Coalition Government. I wasn't the Prime Minister in 2017. It was Ken Wyatt, a great West Australian, who was the Minister for Indigenous Affairs under the Morrison Government, which got elected in 2019 on a platform of advancing recognition, and nothing happened. Ken Wyatt has been a very strong supporter of a Yes vote in this referendum. And I sincerely hope that people focus on what the question is when they vote, either on Saturday or beforehand. The question is very clear. It says in recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the first peoples of Australia, that's the recognition bit. And then the form of recognition is clear as well. 'There shall be a body to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice' is the first point. The second point is 'It may make representations to Parliament and Government on matters affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people'. And the third point is the primacy of the Parliament, 'Parliament shall have the power to make laws about the powers, the composition, and the functions and procedures of the Voice'. Nothing to fear here. Just a non-binding advisory committee that will have the power of its ideas. This should not be a partisan issue. Peter Dutton has not offered any solutions. He has just offered negativity and saying 'no'. But there are no alternatives being offered here. And I sincerely hope that Western Australians and others - I will be going to a Yes event after this to thank the volunteers here in Fremantle. People of goodwill across the board from the Labor Party, including the former Premier Mark McGowan, the current Premier Roger Cook, prominent Liberals here, or former Liberals in Ken Wyatt's case, Julie Bishop, someone who was an outstanding Foreign Minister, who represented Australia on the international stage, understands what's at stake here and has been very strong. As well as prominent people in business, sporting codes and faith groups and other organisations. So I hope sincerely that West Australians do vote Yes and all Australians across in a majority vote Yes. It's up to people to make up their own mind and we respect people's right to determine their own position. But they should determine it about what this vote is about, and not other things which it's not about. And to me the strength of the Voice and why people should vote Yes is confirmed by the fact that people want to raise every other issue except for what people will actually be voting on, on Saturday, which is nothing to fear, everything to gain, nothing to lose.
JOURNALIST: On Israel again, are Australian diplomats or their families being evacuated from the embassy in Israel?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: Do you know how many Australians are in Gaza?
PRIME MINISTER: We do not have complete numbers, either about Gaza or Israel because of the nature of the way that travel occurs, and the fact that a range of people are dual citizens as well. We know that there are Australians in Israel and in Gaza, as well as in the West Bank. We are working very hard through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to make sure that Australian citizens can be looked after. This is a very difficult time. Is a complex time. And I do want to draw as well, the attention of the media to the media release that's been issued by the ASIO Director General Mike Burgess today, speaking about the importance of moderation in language. We are a great multicultural nation. It's important that people, including people in public life, are non-inflammatory in their language, which is used at this difficult time.
JOURNALIST: Should state and territory governments pursue regional level voices, regardless of the outcome on Saturday.
PRIME MINISTER: That's a matter for them.
JOURNALIST: Would you like to see that though?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm the Prime Minister of Australia. I think it's a really good idea if governments that are elected are accountable to them. My job is to be the Prime Minister, and I'm hoping very sincerely that Australians take up the opportunity to vote Yes. And the fact that there is no one criticising the No campaign, that talks about everything but what's on the ballot paper of what people will be voting for, the constitutional change which is before the Australian people. We had the former Chief Justice Robert French give a very powerful speech, once again reminding people of the sound legal basis of the words that have been put forward in the referendum change. And this is something that has come from Indigenous Australians themselves. Every single one of the Northern Land Councils are supporting a Yes vote. Indigenous Australians in the Kimberly and the Pilbara are supportive of a Yes vote. I had the great honour of yesterday morning - I was in Uluru the night before - of being welcomed by the Anangu women who did the artwork around the very eloquent words that are in that one page statement, the Uluru Statement from the Heart. It was very moving moment. And they did a dance where they had sticks where they drag the sticks through that red dirt behind them, symbolising the burden that they've suffered as a result of the experience of colonisation that occurred post 1788. But they then held them above their head to symbolise standing up and rising to the occasion. I hope that Australians rise to the occasion on Saturday. We are a generous people. This is a very modest request from first Australians just for recognition and to be listened to. And I believe that a clear case has been made to vote Yes to that request, which is overwhelmingly supported by indigenous Australians
JOURNALIST: If the referendum does fail -
PRIME MINISTER: I'm working on a yes campaign. I'll be working from here. I'll be in South Australia, I'll be in Tasmania. And I'll be in my home state of New South Wales continuing to work. Because I think that it would be most unfortunate if we miss this once in a generation opportunity to advance reconciliation.
JOURNALIST: Will you make a statement on camera on Saturday night, win or lose?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you'll have to wait and see on Saturday night. What we do is normally give press announcements well in advance. I'm focused on an outcome here. I note that we're working very hard, the tens of thousands of volunteers. There are people involved in this campaign, who've never been involved in a campaign before. When you think about sporting greats, for example, to get Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Cathy Freeman, Nova Peris, Greg Inglis, Eddie Betts, Adams Goodes, Michael O'Loughlin, all these people out there saying, you've cheered us that when we represented our country or achieved sporting fame. What we're asking for is a Yes vote in this. So I hope that Australians think with their heart, but also with their head, in that we can't just keep doing the same thing. Peter Dutton never has any solutions. He offers no alternative, no solutions. And we know that he walked out on the apology. And he said there would be all of these dire consequences. Everyone will be paying things, all this nonsense. And then ten years later, he said oh sorry about that. Sorry for not saying sorry. Sorry for finding it so offensive that he couldn't even sit there quietly, while his colleague Brendan Nelson made an eloquent contribution to Kevin Rudd. He's the only member of the House of Representatives who's still there that walked out that day. And, you know, I think that in the future, when people look back with a Yes vote, look back and wonder, just like they look back at the apology, just like they look back at marriage equality and wonder what all the fuss was about. The scare campaign has no basis. And you only move a country forward with hope and optimism and a positive vision for the future. And that is what Indigenous Australians have requested.
JOURNALIST: How did the government secure Cheng Lei's release? Was a deal struck? And does this signify stabilising the relationship with China?
PRIME MINISTER: We don't deal with China on a transactional basis. We stand up for our values and make representations and we did so consistently. But we also do so diplomatically and in a way that a serious government should. You will note that when I stood up yesterday afternoon, there was no foreshadowing
that Cheng Lei had arrived back in Australia. We've worked very hard to achieve the outcome with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and our Ambassador to Beijing. Senator Wong as the Foreign Minister, myself with the meetings that I had with President Xi and also Premier Li, most recently in Jakarta, and again, a less formal meeting that I had with him at the official dinner of the G20 in New Delhi. My government is one that takes national security seriously, that doesn't treat it like a political football, that doesn't look for securing political advantage or wedges, doesn't look at feeding into domestic politics, that just stands up for our national interests. Now, the judicial processes were completed in China. I am just very pleased that Cheng Lei was able to spend the evening with her family including her two young children, fourteen and eleven, have been reunited with their mum. And that's great.