Dr Anne Webster MP

I am very grateful to the people who have re elected me to this role. It’s been a really daunting three years. And really, I think everyone’s pleased to get through it. We’re now at a place, of course, where it’s rebuild time. And I think this is a time where the nation needs to pull together. I am very proud of the Mallee electorate and everything that this Mallee electorate achieves. And very honored and very humbled to again be representing everyone whether they voted for me or not into this into this role requires margin Did that surprise you?

Journalist

Having an increased margin, did that surprise you?

Dr Anne Webster MP

Well, last time was a three quarter con contest, of course. So it was going to change I’d hoped, it was going to change, or is it was by how much. My team and I… I’m incredibly proud of supporters, volunteers who give up their time, all of my staff who’ve been amazing to look after the interests of people in Mallee through a really difficult time.

Journalist

You’ll now of course, have the challenge of working in opposition with a … not in government. So not working with directly with the government that’s in power. Have you given any thought to how you go about working with the new government for Mallee?

Dr Anne Webster MP

Yes. Of course, we’ve had all of 10 hours, I have to say that I am literally very surprised at the result I had hoped, of course, the Coalition would sneak in one more time. Working in opposition: look, my focus is Mallee. My focus are the interests of Mallee, regional people. And you know, I’ve yet to see Labor really invest in the regions. So I have relationships on the other side of the aisle when they were in opposition. Our turn now. My hope is to build on those relationships and to see the best interests of Mallee fulfilled.

Journalist

Have you spoken to anyone or any of your colleagues that have been in opposition to form a bit of a game plan?

Dr Anne Webster MP

They do tell me that your best day in opposition is still worse than your worst day in government. So it’s not a very bright outlook. However, we will certainly make the most of it. I mean, I’m pretty thrilled that Nats have all kept their seats around the country. That’s an incredible outcome. And hopefully, we’ve grown in fact, obviously, we’ve got to wait for the final numbers to come in. But we should be a larger party room than we were before the election. So that is really good. And I really hope that we can work together as a very strong team. Barnaby rang me this morning, to congratulate me and I thanked him for his well wishes, obviously, everyone’s still waiting for those marginal seats to see how we actually land.

Journalist

Do you expect his leadership to stay intact?

Dr Anne Webster MP

Look I think that’s going to be an issue for the party room. When we have the party room, of course, is the next question. Because until the seats, until postal votes are really counted, we’re not going to have a final outcome. But I know that he’s certainly wanting to call the party room very shortly.

Journalist

I think Labor was hinting at some of the budget savings, in fact, in taking away some of the regional grants.

Dr Anne Webster MP

That’s exactly right. That is exactly right. And, you know, I’ve made some, as you know, incredible announcements for Mallee in this last month and a half. And my focus is to see that those grants are fulfilled, of course, we don’t have the power to ensure that. So it’s going to be meeting with the Labor ministers concerned and seeing how we as a party might be able to come to some agreement with the opposition. They have all the cards, that’s how it works. And I am actually that’s my number one issue is that I’m really concerned about Dunmunkle Childcare, Davis Park in Nhill, Deledio in Dunolly, the wet lab here in Mildura. I mean, I’m very passionate about all of those things being funded. So it’s pretty devastating, actually, to be in this position where we’ve got to go back to the drawing board. And one more time, lobby hard.

Journalist

Were you surprised to see what happened to the Liberals in some of the particularly in Sydney, North Shore seats where the teal independents have unseated some, some big names there?

Dr Anne Webster MP

Look, I think, and Josh Frydenberg, as well. I think that that would be an outstanding loss to the nation. And the fact is, we live in a democracy and you know, we’ve got all colors of green coming out at this election. And you know, I look to continue supporting the Coalition and see it grow forward going forward.

Journalist

If we take all the political colors out of it, Anne, no matter what side they are on, it seems to have been a bit of a victory for women in terms of their representation.

Dr Anne Webster MP

I thought you’re gonna say a hit job on the Coalition. I would agree with that statement. Look, I think we’ll see. I’ve never been into gender quotas. So it’s just not something that I’m interested in. I’m interested in the best person for the job. And, you know, we’ve got to see these women perform, do what they should be doing and representing their electorates. So you know, it’s a it’s a, having done it last time, it is a big gig, and one that you need a lot of support for.

Journalist

What did you mean exactly by hit job on the Coaltion?

Dr Anne Webster MP

I don’t think it’s a question. It’s been in the papers for the last few weeks that teal independents only went after Coalition seats. Literally. So the Coalition had been hit from the right and the left. And it’s just been extraordinary.

Journalist

And the fact is, if you look at the seats, I think, last count, I saw 67 to Labor, that’s an extraordinarily low number, for someone to be forming government. So the fact is, both the Liberal and the Labor Party’s votes have dropped enormously. That pendulum that used to exist is now out here.

Dr Anne Webster MP

Yes.

Journalist

Really, I think we’re witnessing a fundamental and dramatic change in European style. Government being formed with all these independents, and I think that trend is gonna continue.

Dr Anne Webster MP

Well, I don’t know whether it will, it would continue. I don’t know that I would… I have read you know, where we’re seeing a permanent change. I’m not sure that I agree with that. I think people have reacted to the outcome of COVID, and the pandemic, the way it was managed, people do not understand the difference between state and federal, they don’t understand the Constitution. And I think education about our system is something is absolutely needed. So that people do understand how this works. So I would hope that we can move forward as a nation that we can put pegs in the ground and say, okay, that was in the past. Now, let’s move on, let’s take some land in a sense, that we grow and we develop and we really take our place globally as well, in a stronger way than we have even in the past.

Journalist

Do you think the pre poll, having I mean it was shorter this time than last time around, but you think people are voting early and they’re not fully in when they didn’t know Labor’s costings, for example, until Thursday? What do you think about pre poll? I mean, it used to be a strict rule that you had to have a reason and you had to have a stat dec to that effect. Now, including myself, you can vote w henever you want?

Dr Anne Webster MP

Yeah, look, does it matter how we vote, when we vote? I think people have got a fair understanding of the parties and what people stand for. I still think that this has been a reaction election to the last few years. I’m absolutely focused on regions, I’m focused on agriculture, horticulture, our water. Labor have said they’re going to take the 450 GL, that is an incredible threat to the industries that we have locally. It’s not a small thing, that is a massive issue, to appease South Australia, fundamentally, and to help them win seats in South Australia. I think that’s an appalling reason to put regional communities at risk. And I will certainly be very vocal about that, because I’m very concerned about it. Same with the Ag visa, you know, they’ve already said they’re taking the Ag Visa off the table. We have fought for years to get that. And it was a UK FTA that actually brought that into place. An agreement in the Coalition. Nats fought for the Ag visa, Vietnam is signed up. And that’s now at risk, seriously at risk. So I think there’s going to be a bit of fighting going on here, i in the interest of our region, there must be.

Journalist

Does the Coaltion need to have a rethink on climate change Anne?

Dr Anne Webster MP

Look, I think we need to understand that the polarization with regard to the climate issue has become even more polarized if that’s possible. That probably is you know, I’m not even going to talk about it, for example, so I think that you know, the rise in the greens in Brisbane is really interesting, something that I would like to have a greater understanding about. And first and foremost, I think that we need to be taking the climate measures that we put in place seriously in terms of not jeopardizing our economy. It’s got to be done carefully. You can’t do To turn off coal power, it’s not going to happen that way. Because if we do, we can put away all these devices that you’re holding, it’s not going to work. And so it’s got to be done in a measured way, I will be very interested to see how Labor manage the teals, given their number, and the Greens,

Journalist

Will you push for a higher emissions target given that that’s what the national trend suggests that people were voting more green and the climate change was a factor this election?

Dr Anne Webster MP

Well, I think that we can look at the numbers in Mallee. I don’t see that that so in Mallee, so you know, I’m here to represent the people of Mallee, I think that the people of Mallee largely are pretty pragmatic about these things. We need to act in a measured way. And that’s what I support, I certainly don’t support changing targets because that you know, appeases some inner greenies.

Journalist

Taking a look at the results that we’ve seen this weekend, it looks like your your runner up, your second will be Carol Hart from the ALP who wasn’t as prolific in her in her campaigning this time. Do you think that’s a reflection on you? Or perhaps a reflection on your your bosses?

Dr Anne Webster MP

Look, I haven’t really got a comment to make about that. I think that the numbers for the Nats have been really strong. We’re not through postals yet. In the past postals have tended to support the Coalition. So I’ll be interested to see by the time we get to about Tuesday, just where we’re sitting. So no, I don’t I don’t take that on board. I think that it’s interesting to me that both PHON, we had a ghost candidate who got what is she now 6.6%, or something like that? Is that right? Or nine?

Journalist

6.7 last time I looked.

Dr Anne Webster MP

Yeah. And and then of course, the UAP at nine are nearly 10. So they equal pretty well the Labor number that I’ve seen anyway. So look, I think we’ve just got to wait for the numbers to settle down and see where it’s all at.

Journalist

One of the biggest geographically large areas of Victoria, given that we are now in an opposition government or sorry, you’re now in an opposition government. What, you know, what do you think are the priorities? What are the things that are going to get through to make the biggest difference in the biggest area in Victoria?

Dr Anne Webster MP

From Labor do you mean? I have no idea. I think we’ll just wait and see what Labor come up with. I mean, their policies have been pretty thin on.

Journalist

What will you recommend to them?

Dr Anne Webster MP

Well, I will be fighting for as I said earlier, I’ll be fighting for the interests of regional communities in Mallee specifically, but regional communities across Australia. The region’s cannot be left behind and Labor have a great tendency because they don’t have seats out here. Labor have a great tendency to leave behind regional communities and regional industries. And I think it’s at their, at their peril. Given the shifts too in the outer suburban seats, I think that you know, we are becoming more conservative in those outer areas. So yeah, look, I think this is this is a shifting sands today. But I expect that it will settle down in the next few days.

Journalist

There’s no one big infrastructure project that you think needs to be pushed for all of Mallee?

Dr Anne Webster MP

Oh look, the one thing that I think, that I hope Labor will take on board is to work with the Victorian State Labor Government to ensure that the Murray Basin Rail project is actually completed. They have no excuse now. Victorian Labor have been very slow to actually work with us, we’ve put 440 million on, literally given it to them, and the work is still not completed, we still have inefficient rail, there is no chance that passenger rail will ever come back while the rail is in the condition that it’s in. And the balls are in their court, literally.

Journalist

Anne will you, do you have any ambition in opposition to step up to the to the front bench? And if that opportunity did arise, is there a particular portfolio that you would like?

Dr Anne Webster MP

Look I I am I don’t think that counting chickens before they hatch is a great idea. I am interested in stepping up. Of course, it’s going to depend on who’s in leadership and whatever, and my my focus is on how is this going to benefit Mallee? This is not about me, you know, sitting in the front bench. They don’t even have a desk in front in case you haven’t noticed it’s not that great. And the responsibility is huge. But I’m certainly prepared to carry that for my community because I want our community to be front and centre.

Journalist

Just finally Anne Simon Birmingham on insiders this morning, left the door open for a Lib/Nats split. What do you think about that?

Dr Anne Webster MP

Well, that’s interesting. I haven’t heard him say that. I’ll leave Simon to his own views.

Journalist

And Phillip did you have any questions?

Dr Anne Webster MP

Like what are you doing?

Dr Phillip Webster

My investment obviously is in health has been my life’s journey, my profession, and I’ve worked in health workforce for much of the last 20 years. So my focus is on health issues. And I know Anne has been across that issue. She’s promoted the wetlab at La Trobe, for example, as a step in the seamless pipeline for students in Mildura and regions to train, from high school into undergraduate courses at university going to graduate course in medicine, trained at the hospital and into specialising. And I see that as our future here. And I hope that that will guarantee my retirement because at the moment, the word is that I’m not allowed to retire.

Dr Anne Webster MP

Absolutely not with the workforce issues that we have.

Journalist

Actually speaking of health issues, Anne, and I know, this is a state issue in many ways the new hospital. But we have talked about the federal government’s involvement with that. We were talking about your federal government. And now there’s another one. Have you particular plans to be pushing to get this hospital here now?

Dr Anne Webster MP

I’ll continue working on the federal government responsibilities, which is around training. I am absolutely as you know, passionate about this issue of the wet lab and the training that Phillip’s just spoken about – that seamless pipeline from secondary school right through to specialist training, here in Mildura. That can only happen if you have a well integrated public private university collaboration. I believe that that is possible here. I know Sussan Ley and I have spoken about this. She’s certainly on board. Tony Passin, in South Australia, likewise. So at a federal level, we are all very, very interested and committed to this concept of a training hospital here in Mildura – tertiary training hospital here in Mildura. And I absolutely see it as being the future for Mildura and for surrounds in terms of health care, it is the way we’re going to increase workforce, it’s the way we’re going to guarantee our workforce into the future and inspire our young people to not think that they have to go to Melbourne or Bendigo or somewhere else, you know, to get their training. We want to keep them here. We want to nurture them here. And there are plenty of reasons for them to stay.