SENATOR THE HON KATY GALLAGHER
MINISTER FINANCE
MINISTER FOR WOMEN
MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE
MINISTER FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICES

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
MIX 104.9
FRIDAY, 11 APRIL 2025

SUBJECTS: Aged care; mental health; public service.

KATIE WOOLF, HOST: Now, joining me on the line to talk further about this is the Minister for Government Services, Finance and Women, Katy Gallagher. Good morning to you.

SENATOR THE HON KATY GALLAGHER, MINISTER FOR FINANCE: Good morning. Thanks for having me on.

WOOLF: Minister, thank you so much for your time. Now, first off, what is this $60 million investment into age care going to see exactly?

GALLAGHER: So, this is an important project, but it's essentially to build a new 120 residential care beds in Darwin. We know that Darwin's got the lowest number of aged care beds in the country and this will go directly to trying to address that. But it's not only that. I mean, we are also doing projects in other parts of the Northern, like in Maningrida and places like that. So, this is a big one for Darwin and it will address I think a lot of unmet need that people would know exists here and help the hospital as well, which we know is a place where they get a lot of older people who can't exit into other options. This will help address that.

WOOLF: Look, it's something we've spoken about extensively on this show over the years. We've had a number of people contact us at different times to say their elderly parent needs an aged care bed, forced to stay at Royal Darwin Hospital for extended periods. Obviously, the nurses, the healthcare staff are doing a phenomenal job there, but it's not ideal for those aged care patients. But look, I guess the concern I've got is that back in 2023, there was an announcement made about an expression of interest process for a 60-bed aged care facility, including 12 specialist dementia care places in the greater Darwin area. And we haven't seen anything eventuate from that. My understanding is that we weren't actually able to find a provider through that EOI process. So, what's going to be different this time round?

GALLAGHER: Well, I think a lot has happened since then, including all of the reforms to aged care that we've pushed through and a lot of new investment in aged care. And we're seeing it right across the country that providers are now prepared, because they can sort see the certainty of the new aged care system and the money that's going into it, that they can now start thinking about or in terms from a business plan, making those investments in capital, essentially, which is facilities. So, my understanding is with the project that we want to see delivered with our $60 million is that there are a number of providers, around five I think from memory, who are very interested in this and I don't think there's going to be any shortage of interest in getting it done. We'll work with the Northern Territory government of course, around how that's delivered, but we are putting the money on the table that really makes it viable for providers to come in and provide that care. And we're seeing this around the country. I come from the ACT, we've got similar issues around shortage of beds and we are now seeing capital investments start to flow because of the reforms essentially and providing certainty to the aged care sector about what the government's role will be.

WOOLF: So, you are confident that we're going to be able to get a provider this time round. I mean what if we can't?

GALLAGHER: Look, we'll work with the Northern Territory government. We obviously see this as a real need. And again, just in terms of talking with the aged care minister this morning, she was saying there is a number of providers that are actively interested in it. So, we feel very confident that this will project will absolutely get done and we will get those beds in place and we'll continue, as I said, to work with the Northern Territory government about rolling out this project.

WOOLF: So, just in terms of that $60 million investment, so, is that going to see the actual infrastructure built and then the Northern Territory government needs to actually find the budget to be able to fund the operational costings?

GALLAGHER: Well, I think it's probably a mix of all of those things. There's probably some discussions about land, and I understand there's land near the hospital that has been considered as an option here. Obviously, our commitment of funds and then working with the provider about their role in delivering the project. So, I think there's always a number of elements to it that need to be rolled through, but we are very confident that our commitment of $60 million, we'll get this project done.

WOOLF: Minister, I don't want to sound ungrateful because $60 million is an enormous commitment to the Northern Territory, but I do want to stand up for the families that really do want this to happen. And I mean, they're going to be saying this morning, well, why is this, if this is so important and if there's providers that are keen and if there's a way that we can make this work, why is it only being announced on the eve of an election?

GALLAGHER: Well, I think we did the aged care reforms late last year, so that's been settled now. We had to get those through the parliament. And obviously, we've got to be clear about what the work going forward is. We've done a huge amount in aged care really to stop the sector from falling over in the last three years. When we came to government, it was terrible. The Royal Commission had really outlined all of the stuff that hadn't been done in aged care and we're trying to turn that ship, including getting the workforce in place. So, making sure we're paying aged care workers the right amount of money has helped stop them all leaving the sector, which means we're in a position to employ them to actually run the services. So, I don't think you can see it just in isolation of all the other work that's been done in aged care to make sure that when we do put money on the table for this facility, that we've actually got the workforce and the providers prepared to work with us to deliver it. And that's been a big part of the last three years, is trying to fix all of the problems in aged care.

WOOLF: How soon is this facility going to be up and running?

GALLAGHER: Well, I think that probably depends on those final negotiations about where it goes, a provider getting all that done, but our money is on the table and we are very keen to make sure that this is done as quickly as possible.

WOOLF: Has there been some discussions with the Northern Territory government on that?

GALLAGHER: Yes. Not me personally, but I understand the Minister for Health and through him the aged care minister have been engaged both with the former Territory government and the current Northern Territory government about getting this done.

WOOLF: Alright. I understand there's also a number of other announcements being made today. What else is being announced, which is I guess new money that hasn't previously? I know the commitment around CareFlight is something that had previously been committed.

GALLAGHER: Yeah, that's right. And I think part of today's bringing it all together. So, we've been doing a lot of work in the hospital funding with the Northern Territory. We were in an urgent care centre this morning and there's additional urgent care clinics opening and then all of our mental health announcements. So, I know that's a big area of need right across Australia, but here in the territory as well. So, making sure people can get access to that mental health care if it's kind of less urgent through the Medicare mental health centres, but also through Headspace with enhanced services there and a focus on really young people with chronic mental health conditions or very complex conditions. So, all of that's part of the commitment that we have been talking about today, and they're really popular services and we know there's no shortage of demands. They're really important that Northern Territory and Darwin gets its fair share of those important programmes.

WOOLF: Yeah, I know, again, through discussions I've had with listeners on the show, particularly with teenage children and some of them with serious mental health concerns, unable to get the support that is required. So, I think it is absolutely imperative that that is able to happen for the Northern Territory. Minister, just a quick one before I let you go. I know that there has been some concerns raised about cuts to the public service. It's something that you are obviously pretty worried about as the minister in that space. My understanding is that Peter Dutton has now back flipped on cutting the public service. I mean, has he had a change of heart? What do you make of it all?

GALLAGHER: Look, it's a bit hard to keep up, I have to say, because there's a lot of Peter Dutton changing his mind, but also a lot of his colleagues saying something different. Look, essentially they've said they'll cut 41,000 jobs from the public service, then they said they'd do it by attrition. And then today we've had some of them saying they're going to do it by redundancies, but essentially they're looking at cutting the public service by about 20 per cent. Now, here in Darwin, that would be about 500 -- or, across the Territory, it'd be about 500 jobs would go, of which 300 or so would be in Darwin. And the big employers are in places like Services Australia, Defence, NEMA, those big frontline agencies that really work to help people. So, we are really worried about it. We think it's a big risk. We've tried to make sure that we've got enough public servants to do the job that we ask them to do and make sure that people get the services they need. And that's why I'm kind of travelling around the country arguing against them because I just think it'd be bad for people if these cuts happen.

WOOLF: Hey, just really quickly, I know as well today the Opposition leader, Peter Dutton, or it's certainly been revealed nationally, that he was allegedly a target of a terror plot by a schoolboy in Queensland. I understand at that press conference in Darwin this morning as well, the Prime Minister said that he's also been a target at different times. I mean, it is pretty worrying stuff that our political leaders, whether you love or loathe our politicians, no matter what side of the fence you sit on, I think it's pretty disgraceful when people are having to worry about threats against their safety.

GALLAGHER: Look, I think the world feels like a bit of an uncertain place at times, and safety of all our citizens is really important. And I mean, politicians, I guess because we're a bit more public, we're a bit more out there, we can often be targets of security concerns. But the PM said this morning, he has a lot of faith in our security agencies and in the AFP and that who provide protection to people. But unfortunately the incident with Peter Dutton is one of, I think, a number that face high profile politicians. So, it seems to be part of our work these days. But the AFP and that are great in keeping people safe.

WOOLF: Well Minister for Women, Finance, Government Services and Public Service, Katy Gallagher, really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks so much.

GALLAGHER: Thanks so much, Katie.

ENDS