Television interview with Minister Butler, ABC News Breakfast – 29 July 2025

JAMES GLENDAY, CO-HOST: Now, Australia is being urged this morning to remain ambitious in its bid to reduce carbon emissions as former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce pushes his Nationals colleagues to scrap net zero. It comes as the CSIRO’s final GenCost report shows that renewables still have the lowest cost range of any new electricity generation.
 
BRIDGET BRENNAN, CO-HOST: The Coalition’s nuclear option, which it took to the last election, remains the most expensive, according to the report. Health Minister Mark Butler joins us now from Canberra. Good morning to you, Minister. It’s good to talk to you again on News Breakfast.
 
MARK BUTLER, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGEING, MINISTER FOR DISABILITY AND THE NDIS: Thanks for having me.
 
BRENNAN: Is net zero going to become another ugly debate point in this 48th Parliament?
 
BUTLER: Not on our side of politics. We're very clear about the importance of dealing with climate change, but also the economic opportunities for Australia. Finally, under our government, there's a clear policy architecture that mean investors have confidence to invest in the new energy that we need. Again, we've got another report this morning confirming that renewable energy is the cheapest form of new energy. Nuclear energy is the most expensive form. But on the other side of politics, you've frankly got division and chaos yet again, led by Barnaby Joyce. But last night we saw a Senate vote where some Coalition senators voted with Pauline Hanson, some voted against her, and the vast bulk didn't even come into the chamber one way or the other.
 
BRENNAN: So is the government going to allow debate on Barnaby Joyce's private members’ bill, which aims to scrap net zero before 2050?
 
BUTLER: That's a matter for the committee that deals with our parliamentary agenda. I'm not quite sure what we'll do about that in the future. But the important thing for the government is getting on with the job of fixing up a decade of inaction. We've got a clear target by 2030. We're on track to meet that target. We've got clear policy parameters to give investors confidence to make the investment decisions that the country needs. We're going to be focused on delivering and implementing that policy architecture, not the chaos and the division on the other side of politics.
 
BRENNAN: How closely are we watching cases like the International Court of Justice's case? It's ruling that nations potentially have an obligation to other smaller nations who've experienced climate change. Are we being ambitious enough? Because there are concerns about some of our approvals of coal projects and gas projects.
 
BUTLER: We've got a clear target to reduce emissions. As I said, it's set out in legislation. We're on track to meet it. We'll make a decision in due course about a target for 2035. To your point, we engage very, very deeply with our Pacific Island neighbours and friends because we know that, for them, this is genuinely an existential threat and they want bigger countries like Australia doing the right thing. They recognise there was a decade of inaction under the last government. We have put in place a really serious plan, a target, but also a plan to achieve that target.
 
BRENNAN: Let's talk about medicines now, cheaper medicines, that's on the agenda and it's good news for Australians who've found it really expensive to get the medicines they need. What's this going to mean for Australians really struggling with the cost of living?
 
BUTLER: They'll save money at the pharmacy. They've already saved about $1.5 billion at the pharmacy counter because of measures we've already put in place. But we want them to save even more money. It's good for their hip pocket. But as Health Minister, I'm also focused on the fact it's good for their health. People need to be able to fill the scripts that their doctor has said is important for their health. When we came to government three years ago, the Bureau of Statistics told us there are about a million people every year going without those scripts because of costs. Making medicines even cheaper is obviously a very good cost-of-living measure, but it's a really important public health measure as well.
 
BRENNAN: Do you have a fight on your hands in the coming months and year to really get GPs to take on the bulk billing incentive? Because of course we know that you can't get medicines if you can't get your script and you're often paying a fair whack of money just to get a doctor's appointment across Australia at the moment.
 
BUTLER: That's right. That's why cheaper medicines are just part of our plan to strengthen Medicare. We need more doctors so people can find a doctor to get to in the first place. We do need more bulk billing, particularly for middle Australia, people who don't have a concession card and are finding themselves charged a gap fee more and more. This might be preventing them from going to a doctor when they need to. That's why our record investment in bulk billing for those Australians who don't have a concession card is just so important. Now, we've calculated that investment to make sure that the vast bulk of general practices will be better off if they move to a bulk billing practice in their surgery. Obviously, patients will be better off, but we need to make sure that the practices and the individual doctors are better off as well. We've achieved that through the policy we announced in February.
 
BRENNAN: I want to turn to the Northern Territory. There's news this week that hundreds of Aboriginal children are being held in police watch houses. There are medical and mental health concerns for some of those children. Are you troubled that some of those children as young as 11 are being kept in watch houses, sometimes with the lights on for 48 hours?
 
BUTLER: Obviously, the health of prisoners, particularly juvenile prisoners, is incredibly important. We've seen out of the territory advice about that from the Royal Commission into Don Dale. There are some changes that are being put in place there to allow Aboriginal controlled health organisations into those facilities. It's really important that as governments put in place their criminal law measures, that particularly for juvenile prisoners, a very clear eye is kept on their health. I'd want to see all state and territory governments make sure they're doing that.
 
BRENNAN: Now, Minister, I'm not sure if you've got your New Year's Eve plans in place yet. It is only July, the end of July. But a North Sydney council has voted to charge New Year's Eve revellers for a spot for the fireworks. Do you think this is a bit un-Australian?
 
BUTLER: The Sydney Harbour fireworks is something that every Australian should see at least once in their lifetime. I love fireworks, I get in the Adelaide beaches, but I've been to the Sydney Harbour fireworks. They are genuinely extraordinary, and I think every Australian, whether you live in Sydney or not, should be able to do that at least once in their lifetime and, frankly, not be charged.
 
BRENNAN: Yeah. Alright, thanks very much, Mark Butler. Have a good day.
 
BUTLER: Thanks very much.