Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I wonder whether, if I speak slowly enough, he will get thrown out. It seems like he is going to approach being the shadow minister as someone who just wants to interrupt and never wants to actually hear the answer to the question. As the shadow minister knows, the premium round will be dealt with in the new year. We have made very clear that we will take a dim view of private health insurance funds who think that a tax whack for working families is an excuse to try to jack up their premiums. We will take a very dim view of that and we have put them on notice of that. But, if we want to look back at the premium rises that occurred under the previous government year after year after year so those who were in private health insurance paid more and more and more, courtesy of premiums always ticked and flicked by the previous government, he can go back and look at those figures.

Of course it would not be appropriate for me to predict what applications private health insurers will make to the government. It is a matter for them. It is a matter for us then to assess. It would not be appropriate for us to try to make some estimate today, as the shadow minister well knows.

See this speech in context