Radio interview with Minister Butler, Radio National Breakfast – 24 June 2025

SALLY SARA, HOST: Well, earlier, I spoke to Cabinet Minister and Health Minister Mark Butler. Before talking about his portfolio. I asked him about the government's response to the developments in Qatar overnight.

MARK BUTLER, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGEING, MINISTER FOR DISABILITY AND THE NDIS: We condemn this attack outright. We're very pleased it reports there have been no casualties, but the Prime Minister made Australia's position yesterday very clear that now is the time for Iran to return to dialogue and to ensure that this situation does not escalate any further. This is a very dangerous environment right now, and the attack on the US base in Qatar is the opposite of what the Prime Minister and so many other leaders around the world urged Iran to do yesterday.

SARA: Is Australia expecting further attacks from Iran?

BUTLER: That really is a matter for Iran. Now they do have the opportunity to return to the table and see this situation, a very dangerous situation in the region, start to de-escalate. That really is an obligation on them right now.

SARA: Is there any information on whether any Australians in Qatar have been caught up in any of this?

BUTLER: My advice is that there are no Australian casualties from this, but more broadly that there are no casualties generally from the Iranian attack on the US base. And I don't have any further advice than that.

SARA: A lot of Australians fly through Qatar and other areas in the Middle East on their way to Europe and other places. Do you expect the travel advice for the region will change at all?

BUTLER: Minister Wong said yesterday that her department was looking at the travel advice given the very volatile situation there. I understand that the Qataris have temporarily closed their airspace and that is disrupting flights really now as we speak, Sally. I encourage all Australians who are thinking of travelling through that region now to monitor the Smartraveller website and obviously talk to your airlines now as well because this is a very volatile situation at the moment.

SARA: Well, let's get, Minister, to the NDIS. The LNP Government in Queensland will hand down its first Budget since coming into government today. Are you concerned, as NDIS Minister, that the State Treasurer is threatening to withhold funding for additional support for children with a disability if the federal government doesn't overhaul the way that GST revenue is distributed amongst the states?

BUTLER: The position of all states, territories and the Australian Government has been very, very clear. It was signed onto through National Cabinet that NDIS reform, a development of a system of foundational supports, which I think is really what the Queensland Treasurer was talking about, is linked closely to a new hospitals funding deal. The premiers and the Prime Minister and the chief ministers have given ministers like me very clear instructions to link those three deals. I don't take that position as a change to the formal Queensland Government position until we hear other from the Queensland Premier.

SARA: What would you say to the Queensland Treasurer about the way he’s trying to make his point?

BUTLER: This is how governments operate, that’s nothing particularly new to a robust federation like ours. I know these things are deeply felt by governments, whether it is GST income that changes from year to year based on very clear formula or the pressure that state governments are under with their hospital systems, which I'm talking to my health minister colleagues about all the time. I think so far over the last couple of years, there's been a very mature and constructive approach from all governments, whether they're Liberal or Labor, to try and work together on these difficult issues and ensure that for the benefit of Australian people, we have long-term positions on hospitals and on disabilities that are sustainable into the future.

SARA: Still on the NDIS, many allied health services, including occupational therapists, say they're furious at a price freeze on their services when it comes to the NDIS, saying it threatens their viability. Do those warnings concern you?

BUTLER: Of course I take all of those positions from health professionals very seriously. I listen to them closely, but I'm also confident that the price determination by the NDIS Board that was released over the last several days was the product of some very, very serious work comparing prices across health, aged care, disability and veteran systems. What we want to make sure of is that the people in the NDIS, participants themselves, are not paying over the odds for therapy and other supports compared to what people are paying in the healthcare system or in the aged care system or for veterans care.

SARA: The issue of travel rebates for those who are going into remote and regional and rural areas, we've heard concerns about that. Are you confident that the system will be adequate to ensure that those Australians who require care and are in places that are far away from major centres will still receive the care they need?

BUTLER: Again, this is a determination that the NDIS Board made after a pretty thorough analysis of what is needed, that there are some representations being made to me and to my ministerial colleague, Jenny McAllister, and of course we'll consider them very carefully. But this is a pricing determination made by the board independently. It's one, as I've analysed it, that I think is in the interests of participants themselves. But if there are representations in some areas about some of those consequences, of course I'll look at them closely.

SARA: The AMA President, Danielle McMullen, says there needs to be more action on improving the health workforce. She wants surety on the scope of practice for medical professionals. Is that something you're able to give?

BUTLER: We'll be working closely with the AMA over coming months and with other health professional groups to ensure that a thorough review of so-called scope of practice is implemented in a way that is in the best interest of patients. We know that we frankly can get a better bang for buck out of our highly trained health professionals, whether they're doctors, nurses or allied health professionals. They are the best trained on the planet, and too often GPs or nurses or other allied health professionals aren't allowed to use all of the skills and the training and the experience that they have. That's just not a good return on the investment we make to train hundreds of thousands of highly qualified health professionals. But I know that this can be quite controversial in the sector, and that's why I've made it clear to Danielle McMullen and to her colleagues at the AMA and to others as well that we intend to work carefully through this with them at the table.

SARA: This morning, you're announcing another entry onto the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which will help those living with cystic fibrosis. What was the thinking behind this decision with this medication?

BUTLER: It reflects new evidence. This is a terrible condition, incredibly disabling, debilitating, but also usually leads to an early death. It affects about 4,000 Australians with cystic fibrosis. But for some time, some years now, there's been what I frankly call a bit of a wonder drug called Trikafta, which within a day or 2 of taking it can just transform a patient's life, get them back to school, back to work, back living a productive, normal life. It's a wonder drug but it's very expensive. It costs about $250,000 a year for a patient if it's not listed on the PBS. Continuing to expand this listing, to the point now where almost 80% of patients with cystic fibrosis have access at PBS prices to this drug, is a wonderful thing for us to celebrate today.

SARA: Minister, thank you very much.

BUTLER: Thanks, Sally.