SUBJECTS: Cashless Economy, Premier Palaszczuk’s Call for increased Federal Funding for Hospitals, Facebook and Instagram outage.

EMERSON:  Every week we are joined by Federal Member for Oxley and Former ALP State Secretary Milton Dick. Milton, do you use cash much anymore?

DICK:  Yes and no. cash in my wallet - my Dad always said always carry $50 on you, and $50 can get you out of most problems, he used to say.

EMERSON:  But when, when did he say that? How long ago was that? $50 was quite a bit of money in those days.

DICK:  Back in the 70s, it probably was a fortune. Now it's a couple of coffees. But, but I do, you know, can increasingly use my phone or my Apple Watch, more and more and that seems to be the trend, particularly during the pandemic. I've actually went to put money in the meter, in the car, the other day for the parking, and there are a number of Brisbane City Council meters that does don't take cash anymore, so I'm not really quite sure what happens to people who don't have a lot of cash, but I think it is the way of the future. It is convenient and it is pretty safe as well.

EMERSON: I know it's convenient. Is that the risk with this? Because, quite easily, you don't even know you're spending the money just like with a credit card, I think it's even worse than a credit card. At least with a credit card, you have to physically touch now. Oh, you just take your phone there, I just wave it in front of the machine, and the money from the ether disappears from my bank account into someone else's bank account.

DICK:  I know and then you've got to remember how to actually access your account online to try and check your balance as well. I'm always forgetting the pin number and now it's face ID as well, so we are entering a new territory when it comes to banking, and I do feel for the old customers that still want their passport and, you know, let's face it, we're seeing less and less banks as well.

EMERSON:  Well, that's exactly right. I can remember when I was at University of Queensland going back into the 1980s and the Student Union near banned ATMs, because they said it would, it was unfair because it would cost workers’ jobs. Unfortunately for us as students that meant we couldn't get any cash out over those weekends and you basically just lived hand to mouth through those, especially those long weekends.

DICK:  And no beers at the Rec club for you then.

EMERSON:  Back at the weekend I was hitting up to the grand final at Suncorp Stadium - was about to say Lang Park, then that's going back - and I went past there on Petrie Terrace and went up there. Remember, that's where we used to get the petrol too, because I think, was that the Black and White that had the bouncers up there? That was the only place on the weekends you can get petrol.

DICK:  Well I'm old enough now, your vintage Scott, I could remember $10 jugs of beer at the RE so you know, and you go out for 20 bucks and that was your night out.

EMERSON:  Well I just I think I just misspoke before, because I said he might be able to get 10 litres for $5 of money. I think I might be able to get two litres, three litres at top, so obviously I'm sitting in the past as well indeed.

All right, listen while we're talking about money, and money has been one of the topics of today, Milton Dick. This is all about federal funding and funding - state and federal - for hospitals. A battle of money. Now this, I reckon is a battle that goes way back. I can't think of a battle between States and Feds that has ever been solved, on this in terms of funding for the hospitals. Now, should the Feds be giving the Queensland Government more money?

DICK:  Look, I think the answer to that is yes but that should be every State and Territory. I think Queensland's not on its own here Scott, every State Health Minister, I believe, wrote last week, to the Federal Government, and they are genuinely worried about what the impact when we do open up, particularly overseas when the borders are open, what that's going to mean for our hospitals. And I've been thinking about this a bit terms of what it means for regional and country hospitals, in particular, is think about it two or three cases in a regional country hospital would really put that hospital over capacity. So, what was that old Paul Keating saying don't get in the road between a bucket of cash and a Premier. I probably think that, you know, our Premier and the Health Minister doing what every good Health Minister and Premier would do, that would be fighting for our fair share and seeing what they can get out of the Federal Government.

EMERSON:  I understand that Milton Dick,  but obviously the Feds and the States always battle over how much money. But look, irrespective of the Federal Government or State Government, it's all taxpayers money. We sometimes we talk about like there's some mystery pot that this money is appearing from, some money tree that it's falling down from, but not every problem out there is solved by more money. Sometimes it's solved by using the money we've already got in a better way.

DICK:  Yeah, but I think when you look at what's coming down the line for our health system, without a doubt, we are going to see an increase in hospital admissions, and I'm certainly worried about that and some of the seniors I spoke to on the weekend are worried about that. In Queensland I think we treat around 10,000, non urgent elective surgery patients in our hospital each and every month. Now, States like New South Wales and Victoria have not been able to do that because of the admissions, you know the horrific numbers that we saw today, the highest number in Victoria, on record and obviously, the 11 tragic lives that were lost in New South Wales and Victoria in the last 24 to 48 hours. I think the hospital system is going to be under enormous pressure, and I fully understand even before COVID that that pressure was there, but it is sensible that we have this conversation. We are heading towards opening up, there's a lot of pressure for the State Governments to deliver on opening the borders, you know, and I think it is wise for our Premier and our Health Minister to be making the case, just as Stephen Marshall is today in South Australia, that the Federal Government, the largest contributor to hospital system, does cough up, and make sure that Queenslanders are protected, particularly when we're talking about opening the borders, and also international borders as well.

EMERSON:  Now Milton Dick, do you use much of the social media? Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram?

DICK:  Well, I do, as people in government and media in elected office do, and I find it a really effective way to communicate and let the voters know what I'm up to, but also to get their feedback, and I noticed this morning there was outage or a crash.

EMERSON:  So did you start to stress out this morning?

DICK:  Well, a little part of me was, 'well that might stop some of the negative messages in your face'. But I am a sort of person that is pro social media. When I say that, it is an amazing opportunity. You know I could be talking on air today and I'll put a little clip on my Facebook page, as I do ad each and every week, giving 4BC a nice shout out, and I always get a lot of feedback from that. Now, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. I don't censor the comments unless there's vulgar or inappropriate language, but I do find it a really effective way to engage. You know I spoke about protests on 4BC I think week before last, that generated a huge bit of debate in in my social media.

EMERSON:  Indeed Milton Dick, it is a modern tool now, I think some people do get stressed out be quite right, it is part of modern communication. Alright, Milton Dick, we'll catch you again next week.

DICK:  See you then.

ENDS