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April 8, 2025
Transcript – Doorstop at Sky News Leaders' Debate
8 April 2025
E&OE
JOURNALIST: What did you think of tonight's debate?
JAMES PATERSON: Well, I think tonight is a night that Anthony Albanese's Mediscare blew up in his own face. He admitted, in his own words, that the Coalition is going to expend exactly what the government is proposing to spend on Medicare. And when he played his usual trick of bringing out his Medicare card, a voter confronted him with the reality of Australians' experience of the health care system, which is that it's not just their Medicare card they need at the moment, it's their credit card as well. And Priya's experience is the experience of so many Australians when bulk billing rates have actually fallen on this government's watch below what we had.
I thought some other key moments were Peter Dutton's very strong answer on nuclear power. The Prime Minister has been running a desperate scare campaign on nuclear energy, trying to inflate the cost when independent modelling shows it's in fact cheaper than Labor's plan, a 44% cheaper plan.
And just finally, another key moment I thought was when that owner-driver spoke about how Australians like him need relief right now. They can't wait for 15 months to get $0.70 a day. They want real relief right now and they want fuel tax cuts. I'll take a couple of questions before I've got to go.
JOURNALIST: Who do you think won the debate?
JAMES PATERSON: Well, I have to admit I'm probably a bit biased there, but it was really a very strong performance from Peter Dutton tonight. I think he really, you know, put in a strong showing, dealt with a lot of the scare campaigns that Labor has tried to raise in this campaign and got our positive message out there about how Australia can be better, about how we can be stronger, about how we can get back on track.
JOURNALIST: Senator Paterson, isn't it the truth you've just left it all too late to bring these counterattacks back? If he's so good in there, where has this been?
JAMES PATERSON: Well Latika, it's two weeks before early voting starts and four weeks before Election Day. We've got plenty of time to get our positive message out there, and I'm very confident we'll do so.
JOURNALIST: Senator Paterson, do you think you will be able to overcome this U-turn and the sort of affect to the image of the working from home ban being reversed?
JAMES PATERSON: Well, look, we've been really upfront and honest about that. Unlike the Prime Minister, who can never admit to making a mistake, we've owned up to this one, we got it wrong. And we understand how important it is for modern families to make their modern life work, to have that flexibility. And I think that shows maturity on Peter Dutton's behalf. I think it shows that we listen to the Australian people and we can respond, when they've got concerns, we will listen and we will act.
JOURNALIST: Do you think it sort of knocked the wind out of the sails of the campaign?
JAMES PATERSON: Not at all. I think Labor has obviously tried to ramp up the fear here, and I think that's been irresponsible because Australians are feeling insecure right now. They're feeling financially stressed. They've had a shocking cost of living experience over the last three years. Markets are in turmoil. There are predictions of recessions in the United States and Australia. The last thing they need is a Prime Minister running a baseless smear campaign that their working rights are going to be taken away. But Peter Dutton called that out, and I think that's the right approach.
JOURNALIST: Just one more. If Chris Minns is willing to stand by forcing public servants to work back in the office. Why can't your leader?
JAMES PATERSON: Because I think in reality, if there are egregious cases of abuse of working from home, that can be sorted out by managers within departments on a case by case basis, we don't actually need to change EBAs or have a government wide policy on this. I think sensible people can work that out practically. Thank you everyone, good to see you.
ENDS